Dark Moon Rising
by Sparkle731
Summary: Starsky is accused of murder and sentenced to death row. Can Hutch prove his innocence before it’s too late? Warning: some graphic scenes of violence. Do not read any further if this topic offends you. Chapter 31. Story complete
1. Chapter 1

**,DARK MOON RISING**

**Starsky is accused of murder and sentenced to death row. Can Hutch prove his innocence before it's too late? Warning: some graphic scenes of violence. Do not read any further if this topic offends you.**

**CHAPTER 1**

David Starsky whistled under his breath as he stepped out of the shower and toweled off briskly. Wrapping the towel snugly around his slender waist, he stepped up to the sink and finished his morning routine by shaving and brushing his teeth. When he finished, his hair was dry enough to run a brush through his thick dark curls.

He walked out of the bathroom and into his bedroom, smiling fondly at the pretty blonde still sleeping peacefully in his bed. He thought about waking her up for some early morning delight but decided against that idea. His partner would kill him if he was late picking him up again. With a soft sigh of regret, he pulled on a blue tee shirt and struggled to pull on a pair of faded blue jeans that clung to his lower body like a second skin. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he pulled on his socks and his favorite pair of Adidas running shoes.

"Where are you going?" his companion's sleepy voice said as the blonde stirred on the bed behind him.

"Duty calls." He told her in his distinctive accent, a subtle blend of the east and the west coast. "Lock the door when you leave. Okay?"

"Can't you stay a little longer?" the woman whispered, reaching out to run her hand down his back suggestively.

"I wish I could." He told her with his characteristic lopsided grin as he turned and leaned over to give her a deep, soulful kiss. "But, I can't. Not this morning."

"You don't know what you're missing." She pouted as she settled back against her pillow.

"Oh, believe me, darling…I know." He told her with a chuckle remembering the night before. He stood up and left the bedroom before he got distracted and changed his mind. He made his way through the apartment without turning on any lights until he got to the kitchen. The aroma of freshly perked coffee from his automatic coffeemaker filled the air.

He drank his first cup of the day while standing at the kitchen counter, adding liberal amounts of milk and sugar. When he finished, he rinsed the cup and put it in the sink. Walking over to the closet closest to the front door, he opened the door and took down the holster and gun that was hanging on a hook. He slipped on the harness, adjusting the gun so that it rested comfortably under his right armpit. He buckled the straps securely and then slipped on a lightweight leather jacket to hide his weapon.

He let himself out of the apartment and walked down the steps to his pride and joy, a 1972 Ford Grand Torino. The car was hard to miss with its distinctive paint job. It had a bright Candy Apple Red finish with a broad white stripe painted across the roof just in front of the rear window, down both sides and then forward where it tapered to a point at the front of the vehicle.

The car was the first significant purchase that Starsky had made when he was promoted to Detective and he spent a lot of money keeping it in perfect condition. The engine had been modified to make it one of the fastest cars on the road. His partner, Hutch, called it a 'striped tomato' and pretended to hate it but Starsky knew otherwise. At least it was better than those beat up atrocities that his partner preferred to drive around in.

Starsky unlocked the door on the driver's side and slid underneath the wheel, pausing for a moment to breathe in the scent of the black leather seats. The inside of the car was spotless. Despite his somewhat ragged appearance, Starsky was obsessively neat when it came to his apartment and his car. A product of the streets, Starsky had been born in New York and lived there until he was thirteen when he had been sent to California to live with his aunt and uncle after his father's murder. After his rebellious teenage years, Starsky had followed in his father's footsteps and became a cop.

Along with his partner and best friend, Ken Hutchinson, the dynamic duo as they had been dubbed by some of their colleagues, had become one of the best teams in the history of the Bay City Police Department. They had solved some of the most high profile cases in the city and their Captain tended to assign them the more difficult cases that crossed his desk. They operated as part of the elite Zebra unit, a squad of undercover detectives assigned to the robbery/homicide division that patrolled an assigned district and handled a variety of cases. Starsky and Hutch's beat was the rough inner city where the crime rate was the highest.

Hutch's apartment was a fifteen minute drive from Starsky's home in the Canyon. He lived in a second floor apartment at Venice Place, a historic downtown building that housed an Italian restaurant on the ground floor. He was standing at the curb outside the building waiting for Starsky to arrive.

Where Starsky had dark hair, sapphire blue eyes and an olive complexion, Hutch was a typical Wasp from Minnesota with blond hair, a fair complexion and ice blue eyes. Their physical appearance was as different as their backgrounds but that hadn't stopped them from becoming the best of friends.

Hutch opened the door and slid into the car as Starsky screeched to a halt in front of him. He barely had time to pull the heavy door shut before Starsky pulled back into the early morning traffic.

"You're on time for a change." Hutch said bracing one hand against the dashboard as Starsky swung out around a slow moving Chevy in front of him.

"You sound surprised." Starsky said, keeping his attention focused on his driving.

"I thought you hooked up with that little blonde at Huggy's last night."

"I did." Starsky told him, flashing him a grin. "And we had quite a night. What's the matter? Didn't Kim spend the night last night?"

"No," Hutch grumbled good-naturedly. "She gave me the old song and dance about not seeing much of a future with a cop."

"That's too bad." Starsky sympathized. He'd heard the same line a few times himself.

"It's no big deal." Hutch said with a shrug of his broad shoulders. "I was getting tired of her complaining all the time anyway. It was time to move on."

Although both men were in their early thirties, neither one of them was interested in a serious relationship at the moment. Hutch had been married when he was in the academy but it had ended in a bitter divorce that had left him reluctant to take the plunge again. Starsky had come close to getting married the previous year but his dreams of a future with his beloved Terry had been shattered when she had been shot in the head by a man out for revenge. The doctors had been unable to remove the bullet and she had died a week later when the piece of metal in her head shifted. Starsky had been devastated and still hadn't fully recovered from her tragic death. So, for now, both men were content to play the field and keep their options open.

When they reached police headquarters, Starsky snagged his favorite parking spot right in front of the building. The two men climbed out of the car and climbed the steps to the main entrance. Several of their fellow officers called out greetings as they crossed through the lobby to the elevators. They took the elevator up to the fourth floor where their squad room was located.

Several officers, both uniformed and plain clothes, were gathered around the long tables arranged in the middle of the room. Hutch headed for his side of the table, while Starsky headed for the coffee pot for some much needed caffeine.

As if alerted by radar to their arrival, Captain Dobey's voice bellowed through the opened door to his office.

"STARSKY! HUTCHINSON! GET IN HERE!"

Starsky grinned at his partner as Hutch joined him. "What did you do now, Blondie?" he quipped.

"Me? You're the one who usually gets us in trouble." Hutch countered as the two men stepped into their superior officer's inner sanctum.

Captain Harold Dobey was a heavyset black man with a gruff exterior that masked a soft heart. He had put in his time pounding a beat and shared a good working relationship with all of the men and women under his command. Although he tried hard not to let it show, Starsky and Hutch were his personal favorites. More than that, they were close personal friends and the Captain considered them part of his immediate family. His eight year old daughter, Rosie, adored her 'adopted' uncles.

Dobey assigned his toughest cases to Starsky and Hutch because he knew that they stood the best change of solving them. They didn't always follow the rules or proper police procedure but their unorthodox methods got the job done. Their exploits were legendary among their peers. Even officers who didn't care for them had to respect them and the reputation they had earned.

Although there were two chairs facing the Captain's desk, the duo choose their customary seating arrangement with Hutch sitting in one of the chairs and Starsky perched on the arm of the chair beside him. Two pairs of blue eyes met Dobey's gaze steadily.

"What's up, Cap?" Starsky asked, deliberately swinging his left foot back and forth in a way that he knew irritated the Captain.

Dobey hesitated momentarily. He knew that the news he was about to deliver to his best team would not be received well. Clearing his throat, he picked up a sheet of paper from the desk and said gruffly, "George Prudolm escaped from prison three days ago."

"PRUDOLM!" Starsky exploded, his eyes flashing with anger as he bounced to his feet. He leaned his hands against the top of the desk and glared at his Captain, his face twisted with rage. "How the hell did that fuck escape this time?"

"He apparently had the help of one of the guards. They think he snuck out in a delivery truck." Dobey said calmly, un-intimidated by Starsky's volatile outburst.

"He's been out for three days and we're just now being notified?" Hutch demanded his own voice cold as ice. Although Starsky was more volatile by nature with a shorter fuse, Hutch's anger was just as deadly. It was simply more controlled. Both men had the reputation of not being someone you wanted to cross. If you wanted to stay healthy, it was best to stay on their good side.

"You know the system," Dobey said "It takes time to cut through all the red tape."

"So Prudolm's out there somewhere probably getting ready to come after Starsky again." Hutch declared, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He reached out and touched Starsky's arm gently. The brunet was wound tight, his body tense and coiled, his eyes still smoldering with a combination of rage and emotional pain.

The history between Starsky and Prudolm was well known within the department. Prudolm was the man who was responsible for the murder of Starsky's fiancé the year before. The year before that, Prudolm had gone on a killing spree, targeting cops as his victims. He had killed three uniformed officers in a twisted plot to try and force Starsky to resign from the force. His thirst for revenge sprung from his misguided belief that Starsky was responsible for the death of his son.

Shortly after their promotion to detective, Starsky and Hutch had busted Gary Prudolm for selling drugs at a local high school. The nineteen year old was killed six days later in a fight at county jail. His father, who was in prison himself at the time, blamed Starsky and targeted him as the object of his revenge. Starsky still carried the burden of guilt for the deaths of three innocent cops and his beloved Terry even though it was Prudolm who was directly responsible for the murders. Both times Prudolm had done his best to goad Starsky into killing him in cold blood when he was arrested. And both times, Hutch had been there to make sure that Starsky didn't lose control.

"What good is the fucking system?" Starsky growled in a disgusted voice. "We catch him and put him away and the system keeps fucking up and letting him escape!" His sapphire eyes darkened with repressed pain. "How many people are going to have to fucking die this time because he wants to get back at me?"

"None if we can help it!" Dobey barked, pointing his finger at the darker half of the duo for emphasis. "I want you and Hutch to go into a safe house until he's found."

"NO WAY!" Starsky yelled, clearly enraged that the Captain had even made such a suggestion. "I'M NOT GIVING THAT BASTARD THE SATISFACTION!

"Captain, Starsky's right." Hutch said more calmly, reaching out his hand once more to touch his partner's arm and keep him grounded. "Going to a safe house isn't going to do any good. Prudolm will just go after more innocent people to try and draw Starsky out into the open."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Dobey demanded, as frustrated with the situation as his men.

A feral grin crossed Starsky's face but his eyes remained cold and deadly. In a deceptively calm voice that made the hair on the back of Dobey's neck stand on end, he said, "We go hunting."


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the delay in posting this story. Kept getting an error message when I tried to upload.**

**CHAPTER 2**

It took several minutes to convince Dobey to do things their way but finally he gave in. He knew if he didn't, Starsky would just go off on his own without the sanction of the police department. This was personal. Starsky was determined to make sure that no more innocent victims died because of him, even if he had offer himself as bait to lure Prudolm in.

"There's already an APB out on Prudolm." Dobey told them "And every officer out there has been warned to consider him armed and extremely dangerous. They have direct orders not to try and apprehend him without backup." He looked at his men grimly as he added, "And that goes for you two too!" He picked up a thick manila envelope and handed it across the desk to Hutch, "The prison sent over a list of his visitors for the past six months and his mail."

"What about the guard that they suspect of helping him escape?" Hutch asked, as he took the envelope from Dobey.

"He's dead. Shot with his own gun…which is missing. We have to assume that Prudolm has it." He looked at his best team solemnly. "You two watch your asses out there and don't do anything stupid. You both know how dangerous Prudolm is." He focused his full attention on Starsky as he spoke. He knew if anyone took any unnecessary risks it would more than likely be Starsky.

"Let's hit the streets, partner." Hutch suggested. He knew how close Starsky was to the edge. Hutch needed to get him out of the building where he could work on defusing the brunet's rage.

"Yeah, let's start crawling in the sewers and find this scum bag." Starsky said. He turned and headed for the door. Hutch followed, letting his hand rest on his partner's shoulder in a gesture of comfort as they disappeared through the doorway. Dobey leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh and sent up a silent prayer for the safety of his men.

Starsky was silent until they were in the car and driving through the mid-day traffic. "The only way this nightmare will ever be over is when one of us is dead." He said flatly.

"That's what Prudolm wants." Hutch said somberly. "Don't give him the satisfaction of blowing him away."

"Why not?" Starsky said in a bitter voice that betrayed his inner turmoil. "It's the only way to stop him. They can't keep him locked up. He always manages to get out."

Starsky's eyes clouded with a deep sadness and a hint of fear. He looked at his partner and best friend and whispered, "He's gonna go after you this time, Hutch. I know he is and I won't let him kill you."

"Hey, buddy, I can take care of myself." Hutch said trying to lighten the mood in the car. "Besides, he could just as easily go after you this time."

Starsky shook his head firmly. "He doesn't want me dead. He wants me alive so I can suffer by blaming myself for the people he kills. That's why he'll go after you. He knows how much I care about you…how close we are. That's why he went after Terry." Starsky's voice broke at the mention of Terry's name and his eyes flooded with unshed tears.

"Pull over." Hutch ordered

"What?" Starsky said in a confused voice, looking at his partner with a frown.

"I said pull over. I'm driving." Hutch said in a voice that told Starsky he wouldn't take no for an answer. Starsky hesitated for a moment and then obediently pulled over to the curb. The two men climbed out of the car and switched places. As Hutch pulled back into the flow of traffic, Starsky slumped in his seat and said, "Where are we going?"

"To see Huggy." Hutch told him. "We both could use a drink and maybe he's heard something."

Fifteen minutes later, Hutch pulled into an alley behind a bar called The Pits. It was owned and operated by a friend of the detectives, who was also one of their best informants. He parked the Torino in a spot beside the rear entrance to the bar that bore a sign that read _No parking. Deliveries only. _Huggy Bear, the owner of the bar, had put the sign there specifically for Starsky and Hutch. It gave them a place to park when they needed to enter the bar discreetly without calling undue attention to themselves.

They entered through the back door and made their way through the kitchen, dodging the staff as they made their way to the main part of the bar. Since it was still lunchtime, the bar was crowded with people grabbing a bite to eat before returning to work. The Pits had a reputation for serving good food at reasonable prices and Huggy kept the trouble makers in line.

Huggy Bear, a tall thin black man with a distinctive flair when it came to his choice of clothes, was busy behind the bar. He nodded slightly when he saw the two detectives enter from the kitchen. They sat on two empty stools at the far end of the bar and waited patiently for Huggy to find the time to serve them.

A few minutes later, Huggy strutted in their direction. He was dressed in an eye catching pair of lime green slacks with a bright yellow silk shirt and a red scarf tied around his neck.

"Hey, Hug," Starsky greeted him, blinking his eyes and grinning. "You look like a traffic signal."

"Well, if it isn't my two favorite cops. Husky and Starch." Huggy replied "You come in here to eat or to insult the management?"

"Give us two of your specials." Starsky told him "And two beers."

Huggy arched an eyebrow at the drink order. "Ain't you two on duty?" he questioned.

"Just get the beers, Hug." Hutch told him. He leaned forward and lowered his voice so that none of the other customers could overhear him. "Prudolm's back on the streets."

"Oh, shit…" Huggy muttered, immediately realizing the reason for the somber mood of his two friends. "I'll be right back with your drinks."

He paused at the window between the bar and the kitchen to turn in the order for their food and then drew two cold draft beers. He carried the drinks back to Starsky and Hutch and sat them down on the bar in front of them. "How the hell did crazy George get out again?" he asked in a stunned voice.

"Shot a guard that they think helped him escape and slipped out in a delivery truck." Hutch told him. "He's been out for the past three days."

"Have you heard anything on the streets?" Starsky asked, as he picked up his glass and drained half of it in one long swallow.

"Nada." Huggy said "But, most folks know not to mess with that nut case. They don't want to end up dead."

"We have to find him, Hug." Hutch said "Before he starts killing people again."

"I'll put out the word out and see what I can dig up." Huggy promised them. He looked at Starsky intently. Although he was friends with both men, his friendship with Starsky went back to their teenage years. They had met shortly after Starsky was sent to live in California and had become close friends. Huggy had helped the rebellious teen adjust to his new life on the west coast and they had stayed in touch through the years.

"How you holding up, Curly?"

"I'm hanging in there." Starsky said, seeing the concern in his friend's brown eyes. Next to Hutch, Huggy was Starsky's closest friend in the city and understood the emotional pain the brunet was struggling with at the thought of another confrontation with Prudolm.

"Man," Huggy said, shaking his head ruefully. "You'd think by now they'd realize how dangerous that bastard is and lock him up where he can't get out again."

"Yeah, you'd think so, wouldn't you?" Hutch agreed "Especially after all the innocent people that are dead because of him."

"You mean because of me." Starsky mumbled, as he finished his beer and signaled for another one. "I told you, Hutch, he ain't giving up until one of us is dead."

Hutch and Huggy exchanged a long glance. They both knew how guilty Starsky felt about the murders that Prudolm had committed. And, they both recognized the truth in Starsky's words. They both hoped that if one of the two men ended up dead, it would be Prudolm and not Starsky. Huggy got both men another drink and delivered their food. Leaving them to eat their meal in privacy, he turned his attention to his other customers.

None of them paid any attention to the aging hooker sitting at a table behind Starsky who stood up and slipped out the front door. After finishing their meal, Starsky and Hutch hit the streets, searching for their prey.

After hours of pounding the pavement with no luck, they signed out for the day and grabbed a six pack of beer and a pizza to take back to Starsky's apartment. They had decided that as long as Prudolm was on the loose, it would be best if the two of them stayed together, even when they were off duty.

When they reached Starsky's house on a secluded street in a hidden canyon, they climbed out of the car, carefully surveying their surroundings for anything suspicious before climbing the short flight of steps to the front deck. Although Starsky was a true city boy at heart, he had fallen in love with the illusion of peace and tranquility the apartment had offered. Isolated from the hustle and bustle of the city, it was still only three blocks from several fast food restaurants, a major shopping center, and a grocery store. Starsky's nearest neighbor was almost half a block away, giving him the privacy he craved.

As Starsky unlocked the door and they went inside, Hutch put the beer in the fridge and walked down the short hallway to the bathroom to take a shower before they ate. Starsky slid the pizza in the oven and turned it on low to keep it warm until Hutch was finished. When the phone rang, Starsky snatched up the receiver before it could ring a second time.

"Starsky," a gravelly voice growled in his ear, followed by an evil chuckle.

"Prudolm, you prick!" Starsky snarled, his free hand curling into a tight fist. "Why don't you crawl out of the woodwork and face me like a man?"

"Eanie, meanie, miney moe….Hutchinson is the next to go." Prudolm said. His mocking laughter echoed in Starsky's ear as the psychotic bastard hung up the phone.

Starsky's hand was trembling as he hung up the phone. Hutch picked that moment to come back into the room, toweling his fine blond hair briskly. He was dressed in a pair of sweatpants but no shirt. He stopped when he saw his partner's pale face and rage filled eyes.

"What happened?" Hutch demanded "Who was that on the phone?"

"Prudolm…" Starsky whispered, as his knees started to buckle. He would have fallen if Hutch hadn't rushed across the room and grabbed him, supporting his weight as he gently guided him over to the sofa and helped him sit down.

"What did he say?" Hutch asked in a gentle voice as he sank down beside his friend.

Starsky turned his head and looked at Hutch, his eyes reflecting his terror as he said in a broken voice, "He said you're next." Instinctively, he reached out for Hutch, who wrapped his arms around the smaller man and pulled him close. They sat like that for several minutes as Starsky fought to control the emotions that were washing over him. A deep seated rage combined with the stark terror of losing Hutch to Prudolm's insanity.

"He's not going to get me, Starsk," Hutch whispered in a soothing voice. "He's just playing more of his sick head games with you just like before…"

"Yeah, well, it's working…" Starsky muttered in a strained voice as he clutched at Hutch's biceps almost desperately. He leaned his forehead against Hutch's chest as he took several deep shuddering breathes to regain his composure.

"Come on, buddy…let's eat." Hutch suggested, untangling himself from Starsky's grip and rising to his feet. He pulled Starsky up with him and directed him to the kitchen table. He reached over and unplugged the phone jack so they wouldn't be disturbed by anymore taunting phone calls for the rest of the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Two days passed with no word on Prudolm's current location. Even the usual street stoolies denied knowing anything. Everyone was too afraid of Prudolm to get involved. The tension built and Starsky was noticeably on edge and ready to explode. On the third day, Hutch and Starsky decided to spend the day in the squad room catching up on their notoriously overdue paperwork. Hutch needed a file to finish the report he was working on so he left the squad room and went down to records to retrieve it. When he returned to the squad room, Starsky was no where to be seen.

"Hey, did Starsky say where he was going?" Hutch asked the other men in the squad room.

"He got a phone call from somebody," Ray Martinez spoke up. "Then he took off out of here like a bat out of hell."

"Shit!" Hutch exclaimed. Instinct told him that the phone call had something to do with Prudolm and Starsky had gone after him on his own. Hutch ran out of the room and down the hallway. He ignored the elevator and raced down the steps to the back entrance to the building where the motor pool was located. Since Starsky had driven that morning, he needed a car with a police radio.

"Hey, Billy," he told the man in charge of the official vehicles. "I need a car."

"Sure thing, Hutch. You can take the brown Ford over there." Billy Haynes told him. "The keys are under the floor mat."

"Thanks!" Hutch yelled over his shoulder as he ran to the car and climbed inside. He bent down and retrieved the keys. The engine roared to life and he pulled out of the lot, the rear tires squealing in protest. As he reached down and switched on the police radio, he heard the emergency call being broadcast over the air, "All units in the vicinity of West Ludlow and Manchester, suspect George Prudolm reported at that location. Proceed with caution. Suspect is considered armed and extremely dangerous! Do no attempt to apprehend without backup!"

Hutch grabbed the hidden microphone that hung underneath the dash and pressed the transmit button as he took a corner fast enough to make the car swerve dangerously. "This is Detective Hutchinson. I am on my way to that location. Starsky, if you're out there and you can hear me, stay put until I get there!"

"Zebra three, this is Baker Four," a voice said over the air "We are approaching the scene and Detective Starsky's car is at the location but there's no sign of Starsky or the suspect."

"Thanks, Ben." Hutch said acknowledging the message. "I'll be there in five." His heart pounded frantically in his chest as he pushed the gas pedal to the floor in his haste to get to his partner's side. The car fishtailed around the next corner and the address where Prudolm had been spotted came into view. There were already two black and white units at the scene and Starsky's Torino was parked at the curb in front of an old abandoned building that the junkies in the neighborhood used to shoot up in. Hutch skidded to a halt behind the Torino, slamming the Ford into park as he jumped out of the car.

His heart leapt into his throat as he saw several uniformed officers gathered around another black and white that was parked at an awkward angle in the alley that ran alongside the building. Some of the men were peering up at the roof of the building, while others appeared to be looking at something lying over the hood of the squad car. As he drew closer, Hutch saw that there was a body lying across the dented hood and shattered windshield. It was George Prudolm and he was obviously dead. Hutch saw that his hands were securely handcuffed behind his back.

He jerked his head up and looked at the roof of the building. He saw Starsky standing there, staring down at the scene in the alley below. Then he disappeared from sight. Hutch ran past the uniformed officers and began scrambling up the steel fire escape to the roof. As he scaled over the twelve inch ledge that bordered the perimeter of the roof, he saw Starsky crouched down in a corner of the roof. His knees were drawn up against his chest and his arms were folded across his knees with his face buried against his forearms.

Hutch approached his partner slowly, not wanting to startle the other man unnecessarily. "Starsk," he called out gently "It's me, Hutch…" When he was close enough, he crouched down beside his partner and reached out to gently cradle him in his arms. He could feel Starsky's body trembling as his shoulders shook with silent sobs. Starsky's weapon lay on the ground beside him and there were signs of a struggle a few feet away, dangerously close to the ledge. "What happened, babe?" Hutch whispered "Tell me what happened?"

Starsky either couldn't or wouldn't respond to Hutch's questions. Hutch heard the sound of running footsteps. Within minutes, more officers were pouring onto the roof from inside the building.

"What happened here, Sarge?" one of them asked as he stopped a few feet away from the two detectives.

"I don't know…" Hutch admitted "I think he's in shock. He needs a doctor."

"There's an ambulance on the way, sir." One of the other officers said in response to Hutch's comment. Most of the men on the roof knew the two detectives and were aware of the deep bond between them.

A young rookie with a pockmarked face stepped forward and said in a shaky voice, "I think he pushed the prisoner off the roof, sir. At least that's what it looked like to me."

"Shut the fuck up!" Hutch yelled, turning his anger on the unfortunate rookie who took an involuntary step backwards, his face paling at the rage on the big blond's face. "Don't go around saying shit like that unless you know that for a fact!"

"Its okay, Hutch." An older officer with a pot belly and graying hair said. "You take care of Starsky. We'll sort things out here." He shot the rookie a hard look and barked "Davis, get your ass back downstairs and wait for me there." The rookie scurried away, anxious to make himself scarce.

"Thanks, Ben." Hutch told the older man. Ben Lewis had been on the force for almost thirty years, spending all that time in uniform. Hutch trusted him and knew that he would secure the scene. At that moment, Hutch didn't really care what had happened on that rooftop. All he cared about was taking care of Starsky. "Come on, Starsk…let's get you off this roof. Can you stand up for me?"

At first Starsky didn't seem to hear Hutch's softly spoken words, then he slowly raised his head and looked at his partner. His eyes were confused and unfocused but he didn't resist when Hutch helped him to his feet. His movements were slow and uncoordinated. He allowed Hutch to slip an arm around his waist and guide him over to the steps that led into bowels of the building. Starsky stumbled and leaned heavily against Hutch as they started to climb down the steps. He still had not spoken and hardly seemed to be aware of his surroundings.

Just before they reached the ground floor, Starsky groaned and mumbled something under his breath. Holding him closer, Hutch said,

"What did you say, buddy?"

"He jumped…" Starsky said more clearly, his voice weak as if the effort of talking was too much for him. "He jumped…I didn't push him…"

"Shhh…" Hutch said in that gentle, soothing voice he reserved solely for Starsky in times of stress. "It's okay. We'll sort it all out later. Right now, let's get you to the hospital so a doctor can take a look at you."

Hutch's mouth tightened into a hard thin line. He knew that Starsky could be in a lot of trouble especially for disobeying a direct order and going after Prudolm without backup. The only two people on that rooftop who knew what had really gone down were Starsky and Prudolm. It was Starsky's word against a dead man.

He shielded Starsky as best he could as they left the building. They had to get past the damaged police car with Prudolm's broken body splayed across the hood. Although an ambulance had arrived on the scene, Hutch knew Starsky would be more comfortable and cooperative if Hutch drove him to the hospital. After stopping to talk to the paramedics briefly, Hutch guided Starsky over to the Torino and helped him into the passenger's seat. Spotting another officer from the station, Hutch called out, "Hey, Jameson, make sure my car gets back to headquarters. The keys are in it."

"You got it, Hutch." Jameson called back with a friendly wave. "Take care of your partner."

Hutch climbed beneath the wheel and turned the key, the powerful engine roaring to life. He glanced at Starsky as he pulled into the street. The brunet had his head leaned back against the seat with his eyes closed. For the first time, Hutch noticed the blood that was smeared down Starsky's left cheek and matted in his curls. A concussion could explain Starsky's confusion and disorientation.

Ten minutes later, Hutch pulled into the driveway in front of the emergency entrance to the hospital and carefully roused his drowsy partner enough to get him inside. At the front desk, Hutch quickly explained Starsky's condition to the nurse on duty. The nurse nodded and signaled for an orderly to put Starsky into a wheelchair to be taken back to an exam room. Luckily, the waiting room was almost empty or they could have been waiting for hours for Starsky to be seen.

Hutch started to follow his injured partner until the nurse put out her hand and stopped him. "You need to fill out the paperwork for me, then you can go back with your friend." She said with a smile to take the sting out of her words. Hutch sighed in resignation. If Starsky's injuries had been more serious, nobody could have kept him from being at his partner's side. He accepted the clipboard and sat down in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs to fill it out. Hutch completed the forms in record time. He knew Starsky's medical information just as well as he knew his own. When he returned the paperwork to the nurse, he made sure that she made a copy of the medical power of attorney that Hutch carried with him at all times. Since neither one of them had any immediate family in the area, the partners had given each other the power of attorney to make medical decisions in an emergency years ago.

Without waiting for directions, Hutch darted through the doors that led back to the exam rooms. He found Starsky in the first cubicle he peered into. The doctor was with him and the brunet seemed more alert than he had been in the car.

"Mr. Starsky, you have a moderately severe concussion and I think you should spend the night here for observation." The doctor was saying as Hutch stepped into the room.

"No way, Doc." Starsky said clearly "I'm going home."

"Doctor," Hutch intervened before Starsky lost his temper. "I'm Detective Hutchinson. Detective Starsky is my partner. I can stay with him to make sure there are no complications. We both know what to watch for."

The doctor glanced at Hutch and seemed to come to a decision. "I guess that would be all right." He said "Just make sure to wake him up every two hours during the night and watch closely for any signs of any further disorientation or confusion."

"I will." Hutch promised

"Does that mean I can get out of here?" Starsky asked in an irritated voice. He was a poor patient at the best of times and resisted medical treatment when it didn't seem to be necessary.

"Yes, I'll release you to your partner. A nurse will be in shortly with a prescription for nausea and your discharge instructions." The doctor said as he left the room to see his next patient. He didn't have time to argue with an uncooperative patient.

"How are you doing, partner?" Hutch asked when the two men were alone.

"Terrific." Starsky said "There are only two of you now instead of four." He grinned at the expression on Hutch's face. "It's a joke, Blondie. I only see one of you. That's more than enough."

"What happened up there on that roof, Starsk?" Hutch asked, looking at his partner with a concerned expression in his eyes.

"Prudolm called the squad room after you went down to the file room." Starsky told him "He said he had a little kid, Hutch and that he was going kill him if I didn't meet him. He told me come alone." His eyes pleaded silently for Hutch to understand.

"Did he really have a kid?"

"No," Starsky said with a rueful shake of his head. "It was lie just to get me there." He sighed heavily and looked at his partner with a frustrated expression on his face. "I chased him up to the roof and he jumped me. We struggled for a few minutes and I managed to get my cuff on his left wrist. Before I could cuff his other hand, he hit me in the head with something and it stunned me enough for him to get up."

"Then what happened?"

"He stepped back to the edge of the roof and put his hands behind his back. He snapped cuff on his other wrist and said he'd see me in hell…then he just stepped backwards over the edge. I tried to stop him, Hutch…but it just happened too fast."

"You were looking over the edge of the roof when I got there." Hutch said

Starsky nodded slowly. "I looked down and saw him lying there, then I just collapsed. I don't remember much after that until I got here."

"He must have hit you pretty hard to give you a concussion." Hutch said. "I'll check and see if the guys found what he used to hit you with."

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the nurse with Starsky's prescription and discharge papers. Hutch took the papers from her and stuffed them in his pocket for safekeeping. After she left, Hutch helped Starsky down from the exam table and slowly helped him back outside to the car which was still parked where Hutch had left it.

As he settled back into the soft leather seat, Starsky looked over at Hutch and said, "How much trouble am I in?"

"You'll probably get wrote up for disobeying a direct order and going after Prudolm by yourself." Hutch said quietly. Now that the crisis was over, the rush of adrenaline had subsided and he was feeling drained and worn out. "And Internal affairs will have to do their investigation and decide what happened up there."

"They're not going to believe I didn't push him, Hutch." Starsky said in a tightly controlled voice. "Especially if Simonetti and Dryden catch the case. They'll do everything in their power to hang me out to dry on this one."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Hutch told him "I know you didn't push the bastard."

"Yeah, that and a quarter will buy me a cup of coffee." Starsky said dryly. He grimaced as a sharp pain shot down the back of his neck and into his shoulders. "God, Hutch, I wanted this nightmare to be over but it looks like its just beginning."

"Hey, we'll get through this the way we always do. Together." Hutch told him as he turned onto his street and headed for Venice Place.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

After a quick shower, Starsky retired to Hutch's bedroom and fell asleep on the big brass bed. Hutch had insisted that Starsky take the bed knowing that he would sleep better there instead of his usual spot on the sofa. Hutch got a sheet and an extra pillow out of the closet for himself. Trying to find a comfortable position on the sofa for his lanky frame, Hutch set his watch to go off in two hours so he could wake Starsky up throughout the night.

Starsky complained about being woke up during the night, but he seemed alert and oriented with each two hour check. Hutch felt as if he had just fallen asleep when he was awakened by the ringing of the phone. He grabbed the handset, almost falling off the sofa in the process.

"Yeah?" he grumbled into the receiver.

"I want you and Starsky in my office right now!" Dobey's voice barked in his ear. "And I want a full report on what happened yesterday!"

"We'll be there as soon as we can, Captain." Hutch mumbled, hanging up before Dobey could continue with his tirade. He groaned as he raised his stiff body off the sofa in time to see Starsky coming out of the sleeping alcove.

"I told you that you should've let me sleep on the couch." Starsky said "Your back is gonna give you hell all day. Who was on the phone?"

"Dobey. He wants to see us in his office right away."

"Terrific." Starsky muttered as he sauntered into the kitchen to put on some coffee. He needed his morning jolt of caffeine to wake up the rest of the way. He had a feeling that it was going to be a long day.

Hutch grunted a reply as he stumbled into the bathroom to take a shower. Twenty minutes later he came out dressed in a pair of tan slacks, a cream colored turtleneck and his favorite tan leather jacket. As usual, he reminded Starsky of a male model who had just stepped out of the pages of GQ magazine instead of an undercover cop in one of the roughest sections of Bay City. Joining his partner in the kitchen, he began to prepare the health drink he made every morning before work. Starsky sat on the edge of the kitchen counter drinking his third cup of coffee and eyeing the mixture Hutch was putting in the blender suspiciously.

"I don't see how you can drink that crap every morning." He said as Hutch added a liberal amount of skimmed milk to other ingredients, turning the entire mixture a sickening shade of gray.

"I told you before its good for you. It contains your daily dose of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients."

"It still looks like something someone puked up." Starsky told him with a grin as he finished his coffee and put the cup in the sink. He slid down off the counter and stretched his arms above his head, reminding Hutch of a big cat stretching in the sun.

"How's your head?"

"I'll live."

"Good thing you got a hard head." Hutch bantered back.

"Not as hard as yours." Starsky shot back with a grin. Hutch finished his drink and the two men left to head in to work. Dobey was already bellowing their names as soon as they walked into the squad room.

"How does he do that?" Starsky whispered as they headed into Dobey's office. "I swear he must have this place wired or something."

"Shut the door and sit down." Dobey growled in a deep, gruff voice. He waited until the two men did as he ordered. "Now, tell me exactly what happened yesterday and don't skip any of the details."

"I got a call from Prudolm. He said he had a kid and he was going to kill him if I didn't meet him where he told me to." Starsky said. He glanced at his partner for emotional support. "He told me to come alone."

"Where were you when this call came in?" Dobey asked Hutch gruffly, glaring at Hutch.

"I needed a file from records." Hutch said in his own defense. "I was down there getting it. I wasn't gone but for a few minutes."

"So, you just took off and didn't wait on your partner." Dobey barked turning his attention back to Starsky. "What part didn't you understand when I said nobody was to go after Prudolm without backup?"

"Cap, he said he had a kid. I couldn't take a chance on him killing some kid because of me." Starsky said. He knew Dobey would understand his decision to handle things by himself instead of taking the risk of putting an innocent child at risk.

"That's not the point!" Dobey said gruffly "I gave a direct order that nobody was to go after Prudolm alone!"

"Okay, I got it!" Starsky snapped, his patience stretched to the limit. "I fucked up. It won't happen again."

"I have no choice, Starsky." Dobey said as he lowered his voice to a lower level and glowered at his detective. "I have to write you up disobeying a direct order."

"Yes, sir." Starsky bit off sullenly. He wasn't surprised. He had been expecting a formal reprimand.

"Finish telling me what happened yesterday." Dobey ordered.

"I left and went to meet Prudolm." Starsky said with a smirk as he stated the obvious.

"And when I came back he was already gone." Hutch added as he picked up the story from there. "Martinez told me that Starsky got a phone call and took off like a bat out of hell. I figured it probably had something to do with Prudolm."

"So what did you do?"

"I checked a car out the motor pool and went to look for him. When I turned the radio, I heard a call about Prudolm being spotted and the dispatcher gave the address so I headed there."

"Anything else?" Dobey demanded.

"I called to let the other units know that I was on the way. I also told Starsky if he was listening to stay put until I got there."

"I take it you never got that message." Dobey said drolly, glaring at the dark haired detective.

"I got it," Starsky admitted sheepishly "But I didn't want Prudolm to get away."

"So you deliberately ignored your partner's radio call and went in after him by yourself." Dobey said, his voice starting to rise along with his blood pressure. He glared at Starsky who wisely decided it was in his best interest to remain silent. "Where did you find Prudolm?"

"He was hiding on the third floor. He must have heard me coming. I heard him running up the steps towards the roof so I followed him."

"Was there anyone else at the scene when you chased him up to the roof?"

"No, none of the other squads had arrived yet." Starsky admitted.

"What happened when you got to the roof?"

"He jumped me and we started fighting. I managed to get him subdued and started to put on the cuffs. I got the cuff on his left hand and then he hit me in the head with something. It stunned me enough that he was able to get free." Dobey remained silent waiting for Starsky to finish his version of the events. "I managed to get to my knees and looked up in time to see Prudolm backing up to the edge of the roof. He put his hands behind his back and snapped the cuff on his other wrist." Starsky paused and took a deep breath. "Then he looked at me and said I'll see you in hell…just before he stepped off the roof backwards."

"What did you do then?"

"I managed to get to my feet and I leaned over the edge of the roof in time to see him land on the hood of a black and white that had just arrived on the scene. Then I'm not sure what happened, I passed out or something. I don't remember much after that until we got to the hospital."

"When did you get there?" Dobey barked at Hutch.

"Just after Prudolm ended up on the hood of the squad car. I looked up and I saw Starsky looking over the edge, then he just disappeared. So I ran up to the roof to make sure he was okay."

"Was he?"

"No, he seemed to be confused and disoriented. He wouldn't respond to me at first. I didn't see any injuries until I got in the car and we were on the way to the hospital. That's when I saw the blood on the side of his face and in his hair. "

"Was there anyone else on the roof with Starsky when you got up there?"

"No."

"How much trouble am I in?" Starsky asked with a level gaze at his Captain.

"IA is already snooping around, asking questions." Dobey told him gruffly "None of the officers at the scene can agree on how Prudolm fell. Some of them said it was an accident and others say that it looked like he was pushed."

"Oh, come on, Captain!" Hutch snapped in an irritated voice. "You can't sit there and tell that you believe for one minute that Starsky pushed him!"

"It doesn't matter what I believe." Dobey said loudly. "We need evidence to prove that things happened the way Starsky says they did! Otherwise, Internal Affairs is gonna crucify him."

"Who caught the case?" Hutch asked

"Who do you think?" Dobey grunted "The top headhunters themselves. Simonetti and Dryden."

"Jesus, I'm screwed." Starsky muttered "They've been after my badge ever since I became a cop."

"I'm sorry, Dave…I'm going to have to suspend you without pay pending the outcome of their investigation." Dobey said solemnly.

"Hear that?" Starsky said with a tight smile at his partner. "It must be serious. He called me Dave." Starsky rose to his feet and reached underneath his windbreaker to remove his weapon from his shoulder holster. He laid the gun on top of the desk in front of the Captain and then dug the leather case out of his hip pocket that held his shield and official ID. He laid it beside his gun and then, without another word, he turned and walked out of the office.

"Well, don't just stand there." Dobey growled at Hutch "Go take care of your partner."

Hutch hurried after Starsky but the brunet had already disappeared down the hallway. Hutch burst through the front doors just in time to see the tail end of the Torino disappearing around the corner. For the second time in two days, he was left behind without any transportation. He flagged down a black and white that was just getting ready to pull out of the parking lot and begged a ride to his apartment so he could pick up his own car.

The uniformed officers were more than happy to oblige. Everyone in the department knew the dynamic duo and rumors were already spreading about the showdown between Starsky and Prudolm. Opinion varied. Some officers were stanch believers in Starsky's innocence while others believed that he was guilty of pushing Prudolm off that roof. Regardless of how Prudolm ended up dead, most of them felt that Starsky had more than enough motive to want to see Prudolm six feet under.

Hutch headed for The Pits hoping to find Starsky there when he arrived. The bar was crowded with the usual crowd when Hutch arrived. Power drinkers, a few hookers looking to pick up a trick, college kids out slumming, and a few wayward spouses looking for a one night stand. Huggy was working the floor, helping deliver drinks and food orders to his customers. When he saw Hutch walk into the bar, he nodded his head towards the farthest corner of the bar by the pool table. Glancing in that direction, Hutch saw Starsky in an animated conversation with another man.

As Hutch drew closer, he overheard a heated exchange between the two men.

"That was a long time ago, Levi." Starsky said sharply, his eyes flashing with anger.

"Oh, come on, Davey…you and me…we're both the same." The man that Starsky had called Levi said with a smirk. "You mighta cleaned up some, but underneath it all, you're still the same two bit punk you always were."

"Speak for yourself, Levi." Starsky growled "I'm a cop and if you play dirty on my patch, I'll run ya in."

The conversation ended abruptly as the other man scowled and walked away, his eyes smoldering with anger. Hutch stepped up to his partner and said, "What was that all about?"

"Nothing." Starsky said in a tightly controlled voice "Just some hustler I used to know a long time ago. Seems like he's hooked up with some of the big boys back east and now he thinks he's a big shot."

"Why did you take off like that? Why didn't you wait on me?" Hutch asked changing the subject.

"I had to get out of there, Hutch, before I started breaking something." Starsky said gruffly. "I mean…I know Dobey didn't have any choice. He had to suspend me until IA finishes their witch-hunt…but it was the last straw, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know." Hutch said, settling a comforting hand on his partner's shoulder. "Come on. I'll buy the first round."


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

"That was Dryden." Starsky told his partner as he hung up the phone. "They want to see me in their office this afternoon at one." He snorted "For all the good that's gonna do. Simonetti and Dryden already think I'm guilty. As far as they're concerned, I've already been tried and convicted."

"I'm coming with you." Hutch said firmly.

"Hey, I'm a big boy. I can find my way there by myself. Besides, you know they won't let you come in with me." Starsky said

"I know. I'll wait for you in the squad room." Hutch told him with an encouraging smile. He wasn't going to let Starsky take the fall for a murder that he didn't commit. Somehow he had to find a way to prove that Prudolm's death was an elaborate and carefully planned suicide.

Starsky smiled softly and nodded slightly, drawing renewed strength from Hutch's unconditional support.

They spent the rest of the morning watching TV and making casual conversation. After a light lunch, Hutch insisted on driving Starsky to headquarters for his meeting with Internal Affairs. Hutch stopped by the squad room to check his messages while Starsky went up to the sixth floor to meet with the IA officers.

Most of the men in the department called Internal Affairs the headhunters behind their backs. They were the men who policed the police and, most of them were decent and good at their jobs but some of them, like Simonetti and Dryden, gave the others a bad name with their over zealous, aggressive behavior. Their attitude was that a cop was guilty until he was proved innocent instead of the other way around. And even the cops that were proven innocent remained guilty in their eyes.

When Starsky still had not finished two hours later, Hutch decided to go up to the sixth floor to find out what was keeping him. He stopped at the desk of a female officer he knew slightly and turned on the charm. "Hi, Amy. Is Starsky done in there yet?" He tilted his head towards the closed door to the office behind her.

Amy looked flustered and embarrassed, "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?" Hutch asked with a disturbed frown.

"They arrested Starsky on charges of murder one. Simonetti and Dryden took him over to the county lockup."

"WHAT!" Hutch yelled, his eyes flashing with rage. "WHERE ARE THOSE BASTARDS?"

"They're not here." Amy stuttered nervously, frightened by the sudden change in the normally courteous and well mannered blond's behavior. "They said they were leaving for the day after they got Starsky booked."

"Fucking assholes!" Hutch snarled, he turned and slammed his fist into the wall, leaving a perfect indentation in the drywall. The other officers in the room gave him a wide berth as he stomped out of the room.

Dobey was sitting at his desk working on some reports when his outer door slammed open and Hutch stormed into his office. One look at the murderous expression on the big blond's face and he knew that Hutch knew what had happened to Starsky.

"HOW THE FUCK COULD YOU LET THEM DO THAT TO STARSKY?" he yelled at his superior officer. "IT'S A CROCK OF SHIT AND YOU KNOW IT!"

"Stand down, Detective Sergeant Hutchinson!" Dobey barked in a firm, no nonsense voice. "Or you're going to find yourself charged with insubordination!"

Hutch came to rigid attention with his hands locked behind his back. His eyes and his stance still managing to reflect his defiance. He glared at his Captain, his eyes as cold as a winter breeze in Minnesota.

"I didn't know anything about it until after Dryden and Simonetti had left the building with Starsky." Dobey said gruffly, staring down his belligerent detective. "They didn't bother to tell anyone that they were going to formally charge him when Starsky came in to talk to them!"

Hutch's shoulders sagged dramatically as the fight drained out of his body. He slumped down in one of the chairs facing the desk and said in a tightly controlled voice, "How can those sons of a bitches get with doing that?"

"They did it and there's nothing we can do about it now." Dobey said his tone sour and frustrated. "I'd advise you to contact the union and find Starsky a good lawyer. He's going to need one."

"When's the arraignment?"

"Probably Thursday morning." Dobey told him "And the prosecutor is more than likely going to argue against granting Starsky any bail." The burly black man sighed heavily and used his hanky to mop at his face. "There's already a public outcry on this case. The press is calling him a vigilante who took the law into his own hands."

"They're going to try him in the court of public opinion before he even has a fair trial." Hutch grumbled.

"That's about the size of it. That's why he's going to need a damn good lawyer."

"And I'm going to make sure he gets one." Hutch said. "And not just some lawyer that works for the union either. I wanna see him."

"That's up to County. You know that." Dobey said "And you're too close to the case. They may not let you see him until after the arraignment."

"I have to try." Hutch said, jumping to his feet and turning towards the door.

"Where the hell are you going?"

"To get Starsky a lawyer and to call in some favors." Hutch said as he stormed out of the office. He left the building without talking to anyone. He ignored the sympathetic glances from several of his co-workers as he passed. Gunning his engine, he tore out of the parking lot and drove straight to The Pits.

Huggy stopped what he was doing the minute he saw Hutch walk through the door. He knew from the look on Hutch's face that something was terribly wrong.

"What happened?" he asked before Hutch had a chance to say anything.

"They arrested Starsky and charged him with murder one." Hutch said, forcing out the words through tightly clenched teeth.

"What?" Huggy said, grabbing Hutch by the arm and pulling him over to a secluded corner of the bar where they could talk privately.

"That was awfully quick. I thought there were no witnesses as to what happened between Starsky and Prudolm."

"There weren't!" Hutch growled "But, the officers on the scene were divided. Some said they thought it was an accident and some of them said that Starsky pushed him. Simonetti and Dryden are behind it. They told Starsky they wanted him to come in today to give a formal statement and then they arrested him in their office and took him to County before anybody else even knew what was going on."

"Man, that sucks." Huggy said "What can I do to help?"

"I have to find him a good lawyer and I don't want one connected with the police department. That leaves out the union ones."

"I think I might know somebody but he's not cheap. It's gonna cost ya."

"I have money. My grandfather left me a trust fund when I was eighteen. I've never touched a penny of it but I'll give it all to this guy if he can help Starsky get out of this."

"Let me give him a call. He owes me a couple of favors so I can probably get him to help you without it costing you a small fortune. Have you talked to Starsky since they arrested him?"

"Not yet. I have to go over to County lockup to see if they'll let me in to see him or not. I may not be able to see him until after the arraignment."

"Well, if you do get in to see him, tell Curly to hang in there. We're all rooting for him." Huggy told him "And I'll keep turning over rocks and see what crawls out."

"Thanks, Hug." Hutch said with a grateful smile. "I'll talk to you later. Give me a call at home after you talk to your lawyer friend."

"You got it my white brother." Huggy said, clutching Hutch's shoulder firmly. "You hang in there too. Starsky's gonna need you now more than ever."

Hutch left the bar and drove straight to the County lockup where prisoners were held until their trials were over and they were either released or sent on to prison. It was an old, depressing building that had been built in the late forties. Although it had been modernized over the years, it was still overcrowded. Petty criminals were housed with their more violent counterparts. Starsky and Hutch were directly responsible for locking up a large number of the men in this place and now Starsky was locked up in there with them. Hutch hoped that the guards had at least put Starsky in a cell by himself for his own protection.

Hutch walked through the front entrance and into the dimly lit reception area. A guard stationed at the desk looked at him suspiciously and said, "Can I help you, bub?"

"I'd like to see one of your prisoners. David Starsky. He was brought in this afternoon."

"The cop, right?" the guard said with a sneer. "And who might you be?"

"He's my partner." Hutch said. He pulled his badge and ID out of his pocket and showed it to the other man.

"Sorry. We had a little trouble with your 'partner' when we were processing him and he's in solitary until his arraignment."

Hutch felt his temper rising at the guard's callous attitude. In a cold, deadly voice, Hutch stared down the other man and said, "If there is one mark on my partner, I will personally make sure that you're out of a job by next week." The guard smirked unfazed by Hutch's threat and picked up the phone on his desk, pointedly ignoring the angry blond.

Realizing that he wasn't going to get anywhere with the guard, Hutch turned sharply and left the building, struggling to control the rage that threatened to overwhelm him. He climbed into his car and slammed his fist against the steering wheel in anger and frustration. Glancing back at the formidable building that separated him from his partner, he whispered, "I'm right here, Buddy…and I'm going to do everything in my power to get you out of there just as soon as possible." As he started the engine, he made a mental note to find someone who could do a welfare check on Starsky to make sure that he wasn't hurt.

He knew that in county jail and in the prison system, the prisoners and the guards both had it in for ex-cops. The prisoners hated them because of the authority they represented and the guards hated them because they gave other police officers a bad name. Most of the guards were poorly educated and badly trained, men who either couldn't meet the requirements to join the force or officers who had fucked up and been reduced to guards as punishment.

Unable to do anything else for his partner, Hutch slowly drove home. He was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. He knew that he had to take care of himself. Starsky was depending on Hutch to get him out of this mess. The phone was ringing when Hutch let himself into his apartment. He grabbed the receiver before the caller could hang up and said breathlessly, "Hutchinson."

"Its me. Huggy. I got hold of my friend. He said he could see you in his office tomorrow morning at ten. He's willing to take the case."

"Thank God." Hutch said, searching through his pockets for a pen and a piece of paper. "What's his name and the address?"

"It's Lew Hamilton. The Winchester Building. Suite 401."

"Shit, you weren't kidding when you said you knew a good lawyer." Hutch said, whistling softly in. Huggy never failed to amaze him with his connections. Lew Hamilton was one of the highest paid criminal attorneys in the city with an impressive success rate when it came to getting his clients off no matter how serious the charges were. "You sure I can afford him?"

"I told you he owed me a few favors." Huggy told him "He'll cut you a good deal. I guarantee it."

"That's good enough for me. Thanks, Hug. I owe you big time."

"Just get Curly out of there." Huggy said as he hung up the phone.

In better spirits than he'd been all day, Hutch took a shower and turned in for the night. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

**A/N: I hope you are all enjoying this story so far. Not as many reviews as ususal so wasn't sure what you all thought of it. Please review so I know what you think.**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

The Winchester Building was a high rise in downtown Los Angeles that housed some of the highest ranking executives in the city. The inside was lavishly furnished with expensive furnishings and authentic artwork. Lew Hamilton's law offices took up the entire fourth floor of the building. He had over thirty attorneys working under him, specializing in every type of law. Hamilton had acquired enough of a reputation that he could pick and choose which cases he decided to represent. As Hutch took the elevator to the fourth floor, he found himself wondering just what kind of favors the man owed Huggy Bear.

As he stepped out of the elevator into the lavished decorated reception area, a pretty brunette in her mid-twenties smiled at Hutch and said, "You must be Detective Hutchinson. Mr. Hamilton is expecting you. It's the last office on the left."

Hutch nodded his thanks and followed her directions, walking down the long hallway with its thick shag carpet and tasteful display of antiques. He found the right office and knocked lightly on the door before entering.

Lew Hamilton was a distinguished looking black man in his late fifties but looked much younger. He had thick black hair with just a touch of gray at the temples and piercing brown eyes set under heavy brows. He had a trim, muscular body and was dressed in a suit that probably cost more then Hutch made in a year. Raised in a wealthy family, Hutch knew quality and breeding when he saw it and Lew Hamilton had both."Mr. Hutchinson," He said graciously as he rose to his feet and held out his hand. "I'm happy to meet you." His handshake was firm and confident. "Please sit down."

Hutch sat down in a comfortable leather chair facing the expensive teakwood desk. "I assume that you're aware of the reason I'm here."

"Yes. You want me to represent your partner who's been arrested and charged with murder."

"Yes."

"And I've agreed to do that as a favor to a mutual friend. Now, suppose you tell me about your partner and how he ended up in this mess."

For the next hour, Hutch told Hamilton about his partnership with Starsky, as well as Starsky's past history with George Prudolm. They talked briefly about Starsky's career on the police force and his various accomplishments. When Hutch had finished talking, Hamilton leaned back in his chair and looked at him thoughtfully.

"We need to find out exactly what they have on your partner. From what you told me there isn't enough to warrant charging him with murder one unless they have some additional evidence that you're not aware of.

This is going to be a difficult case. There have been too many incidents involving dirty cops in the past couple of years. They're going to use your partner as an example. In other words, they're going to try and crucify him."

"Can they do that?"

"Oh, believe me…they can do it if they have the right evidence. And unfortunately, evidence can always be created and witnesses can be manufactured. The first thing I plan on doing is finding just what they have on your partner. Then we can go from there."

"How much is all this going to cost me?" Hutch asked

"I assure you, Detective; you will be very pleased with my fee. Stop by the desk on your way out and Carla will give you an itemized accounting for my services."

"There's one more thing…"

"What's that?"

"They have Starsky locked up in County. When I tried to see him yesterday, the guard I spoke to said nobody could see him until after his arraignment. He claimed that Starsky gave them some trouble when they were processing him and that he was in solitary until he went to court. I need someone who can get in there and make sure that he's okay."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it." Hamilton assured him with a warm smile. "I'll have someone call you later today with an update."

"Thank you." Hutch said, rising to his feet and shaking the man's hand again. "For everything."

"You're welcome."

Hutch let himself out of the office and walked back down the hall to the front desk where he paused to collect a sealed envelope form from the receptionist. He waited until he was outside and in his car before opening it. He looked at the itemized list for Hamilton's services in shocked amazement. Hamilton must really owe Huggy a big favor. Hutch only owed the man five thousand dollars up front for taking the case. He knew that was only a small fraction of the man's usual rate. He drove to his bank and arranged for a payment to be made to the law firm immediately.

He returned to his apartment and spent the rest of the day doing some household chores that had been neglected for too long and taking care of his jungle of plants. He was relaxing with a beer later that evening when the phone rang. Answering it, he said, "Hutchinson."

"Mr. Hutchinson, this is Carla Sinclair. I'm Mr. Hamilton's assistant." A warm, friendly voice said in his ear.

"Yes, we met this afternoon. Mr. Hamilton said that someone would call me with an update."

"Yes. First of all, Mr. Hamilton wanted me to tell you that he checked on Mr. Starsky and made sure that he received medical care for some minor injuries. He also asked me to tell you that he did obtain copies of some of the evidence that has been gathered against your partner. He would like for you to meet him at the office tomorrow afternoon at three to discuss that evidence."

"Tell him that I'll be there."

"I'll do that. Have a nice night, Mr. Hutchinson." She hung up, leaving Hutch to do the same. Hutch was angry that Starsky apparently had been injured while he was in lockup but thankfully, it didn't sound like his injuries had been too serious. He was more anxious and concerned about the evidence that Hamilton had uncovered concerning Starsky.

Hutch spent a restless night, too preoccupied with his own thoughts to sleep. He went into work the next morning long enough to catch up on some paperwork and to make some phone calls about a couple of cases that he and Starsky had been working on.

He left in time to keep his three o'clock appointment with Hamilton. Carla smiled warmly when he stepped off the elevator and directed him back to Hamilton's office.

Hamilton looked up from a stack of papers on his desk when Hutch came in and nodded for him to sit down. As Hutch settled into the leather chair, Hamilton looked at him gravely and said, "I'm afraid that your partner could be in more trouble than I anticipated."

"What did you find?" Hutch demanded, his heart pounding in his chest as he waited for the answer.

"The prosecutor has statements from three of the police officers that were at the scene that day who all say that they saw your partner push the victim off the roof. There's also a statement from a woman who says that she overheard your partner talking about murdering the victim so that he could put an end to the nightmare."

"That's not true! None of it's true." Hutch declared hotly. "I was there too. I arrived just after Prudolm fell. None of the officers on the ground could tell for sure if Prudolm fell or was pushed and there was nobody else on the roof at the time except for Starsky."

"Well, it will be up to you to help prove that in court."

"What else do they have?"

"Statements about the two previous cases involving the victim and how close Detective Starsky came to killing him after Mr. Prudolm murdered his fiancé last year. That alone is going to come across as a pretty strong motive."

"Anything else?"

Hamilton looked at Hutch somberly and said, "They're going to drag your partner through the mud on this one. They're going to dig up every infraction they can find on him, any complaints that have been made against him especially for excessive violence or use of unnecessary force. In other words, they're going to go for the jugular. They're going to try and show that your partner is a loose canon with a violent, unpredictable temper and that it was only a matter of time before he stepped over the line and lost control."

"And they're not really going to give damn if he's innocent or not are they?" Hutch said with a thin smile.

"Probably not. I will object as often as I can and sometimes the judge will agree with me, sometimes he won't. A lot of the evidence they're going to be using is a matter of public record. The judge will allow that evidence to be heard."

"What are Starsky's chances of beating this?"

'Fifty fifty at best…unless they dig up some more hard evidence against him. And it will all depend on the jury selection."

"And jury members can be bought off. Right?" Hutch said sarcastically.

"Unfortunately, yes…and that happens more often than most people realize. If they want your partner put away bad enough, they're going to put him away and there's not much anyone can do about it." Hamilton leaned forward and looked at Hutch intently. "I promise you that I will do everything in my power to keep that from happening but it's not going to be easy. Are you up for the fight of your life? Is your partner?"

"Yes." Hutch said firmly.

"Go home. Get some rest. Detective Starsky's arraignment is tomorrow at two o'clock. Be at the courthouse early and I'll make sure that you get to see him beforehand."

"What time?"

"Make it one. I need to talk to him myself for a few minutes before the hearing, but I'll make sure that the two of you get to meet together first."

"Thanks, I appreciate that." Hutch said. The two men said their goodbyes and Hutch left the office. The meeting with Hamilton had done little to encourage him. The man was blunt and outspoken. Hutch appreciated that quality in the man but from their conversation, it was beginning to look like this thing was bigger than just Prudolm. Hutch wondered if there could have been someone else pulling Prudolm's strings. It would certainly explain a lot of things.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

Hutch paced the empty conference room at the downtown courthouse nervously. He would be seeing Starsky in a few minutes and he was anxious about the meeting. He glanced up as the door opened and Starsky was led into the room. He was dressed in the standard issue orange jumpsuit from the county lockdown and his hands were cuffed to the belt fastened snugly around his waist.

"Can't you take those things off him?" Hutch asked in an irritated voice as the guard led Starsky over to the wooden table sitting in the middle of the room and pushed him down into a chair.

"Sorry. Regulations." The man said in a bored tone as he went over to stand beside the door where he could watch Starsky. Hutch sighed in resignation and sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the table facing Starsky.

"Hey, Blondie." Starsky said with a ghost of his usual thousand watt smile. "Sounds like you've been busy for the last couple of days."

Hutch examined Starsky's face closely, noting the stitches on his left cheekbone and the black eye that was fading to various hues of green, yellow and brown. There were also fading bruises on his throat that looked suspiciously like finger marks.

"What's the other guy look like?" Hutch asked

"They look better than me." Starsky said with a bitter smile.

"They? How many of them were there?" Hutch demanded immediately.

"A couple." Starsky said evasively. He shrugged his shoulders indifferently as if it didn't matter.

"I found you a lawyer." Hutch said wisely deciding to change the subject.

"Yeah, I know." Starsky said with a secretive little smile that Hutch didn't know how to read. "Lew. Thanks."

"You sound like you know him already." Hutch said with a puzzled frown.

"Let's just say that we've met a couple of times." Starsky smiled that same ghost of a smile as if he had a secret that he didn't want Hutch to know. It wasn't like Starsky to keep secrets from him and he didn't like it.

"Starsky, I need to run something by you. I know it sounds kinda far fetched but I want you to keep an open mind. Okay?"

"Sure. Shoot."

"Do you think that someone beside Prudolm could be trying to set you up for his murder?"

"I guess anything is possible. Look where I am right now." Starsky said with a tense smile. "Fuck, Hutch. I don't know. Prudolm killed those cops and murdered Terry on his own without any help. He was capable of just about anything including knocking himself off if he thought I would get blamed for it."

Hutch lowered his voice so the guard at the door wouldn't overhear him. "It's not just that, buddy. All of a sudden the DA has witnesses crawling out of the woodwork ready to nail your ass to the wall and the newspapers and TV are having a field day with this case."

"It'd take somebody with a lot of money and lot of influence to do what you're suggesting." Starsky replied with a trace of humor in his voice as if he were simply humoring Hutch. He shrugged his shoulders as if it didn't matter. "Go for it. I ain't going anywhere anytime soon."

For a brief moment Hutch saw a break in the tough guy persona that usually surrounded Starsky. Although he was managing to hide it well, he was scared and barely holding on. It wouldn't take much to send him over the edge. As if to confirm Hutch's observations, Starsky's voice dropped to a barely audible whisper, "Get me out of here, Hutch. I don't know how much more I can take…"

"I'm doing my best, buddy…just hang in there a little bit longer." Hutch told him as he reached out to touch Starsky's shoulder in a gesture of comfort and encouragement.

"No touching the prisoner!" the guard barked from his post by the door, abruptly reminding both men where they were and why they were there.

There was a light tap on the door and the guard opened it to let Lew Hamilton into the room. Hutch stood up and prepared to leave so the lawyer could talk to his partner in private. Starsky and Hutch locked eyes for a moment, speaking volumes without saying a word. Hutch nodded and walked out of the room. The guard followed him into the hallway and took up his post outside the door while Starsky was talking to his attorney. Hutch grabbed a drink at the water cooler and then continued on down the hallway to the courtroom where he found a seat in the front row slightly to the left of the defense table. He chose that spot so Starsky would be able to glance over and see him during the proceedings.

Starsky was led into the room at precisely two o'clock accompanied by both Hamilton and the guard. He took a seat at the defendant's table in front of Hutch, turning his head briefly to flash Hutch a quick smile before facing forward as the judge entered the courtroom.

The bailiff read the charge against Starsky. Murder in the first degree, which meant that the prosecutor was going to claim that the murder was premeditated based on Starsky's past history with Prudolm. When the judge asked Starsky for his plea. He stood up and said in a strong, clear voice, "Not guilty, your honor."

The judge accepted the plea and ordered it entered in the court transcript. Then it was time for Starsky's attorney and the DA to argue over bail. Hamilton went first. Standing up, he faced the judge and said, "Your honor, David Starsky has been a highly decorated member of the Bay City Police Department for over ten years. Along with his partner, he has been responsible for the arrest and conviction of some of the most dangerous criminals in the city and has been directly responsible for solving some of the most high profile crimes. Detective Starsky has also been a resident of this city for over twenty years and has well established roots within the community. He has been a model citizen and therefore we would like to ask that he be released on bail until his trial. Thank you, your honor."

Next it was the Prosecuting Attorney's turn to argue his side of the case. He stood up and smiled at the judge but his smile never reached his eyes. In a smooth, carefully rehearsed voice, he said, "You're honor, while everything Mr. Hamilton has said about Detective Starsky is true; he is still accused of murdering a defenseless man in cold blood. He has shown no remorse for his actions and this office believes that he could be a flight risk. While it is true that Detective Starsky has lived in this city for over twenty years and has roots in the community, his immediate family and a large number of other relatives reside on the east coast. It would be very easy for Detective Starsky to flee this court's jurisdiction to avoid being held accountable for his actions in this case. Therefore, this office requests Detective Starsky be denied bail and remain incarcerated in the county jail until his trial. Thank you, your honor."

The judge called for a ten minute recess while he made his decision. Everyone remained in the courtroom while the judge retired to his chambers to deliberate. When he returned, he looked out over the faces in the courtroom and intoned solemnly, "After much consideration of both presentations before this bench concerning the issue of bail for David Michael Starsky, it is this court's decision that Mr. Starsky be denied bail at this time and will remain incarcerated in the county lockup until his trial which is set for June 22nd at 9 AM. As Mr. Hamilton pointed out, Mr. Starsky has been a member of the Bay City Police department for over ten years and as such, his actions reflect on the integrity of that department. As a police officer for this city, Mr. Starsky is held to a higher standard of conduct than the average citizen. These things were all taken into account in this court's decision to deny bail at this time." He slammed down his gavel. "Court is adjourned."

Hutch wasn't surprised by the Judge's decision. He never expected Starsky to get bail, not on a charge of first degree murder. Luckily, his court date was only three weeks away, some defendants waited for months for their trial to begin. Hutch frowned. That was another irregularity in this case. How did Starsky's case get squeezed into the court docket so quickly? Everyone stood as the judge left the courtroom and then the guard took Starsky's arm and escorted him out of the room to take him back to jail. After they were gone, everyone else was free to leave.

Lew Hamilton fell in step beside Hutch as they left the courtroom. "Now we really get down to work." He said "We have three weeks to prepare David's defense."

"How did the DA manage to get his case on the docket so fast?" Hutch asked

"He probably called in some favors from some friends in high places. It happens in a high profile case like this one. He wants to keep in the news and fresh in everyone's mind."

"Shit. Are they going to let me see Starsky now?"

"Yes, I've already made arrangements for you to be able to visit him. You'll be able to see him for one hour twice a week. Tuesdays and Fridays at 4 pm. Don't be late or they won't let you in. He can also call you collect on Saturdays and Sundays."

"Can I leave him some money in case he needs anything?"

"You can leave him up to thirty dollars once a week."

"So what now?"

"You keep digging and let me know what you turn up." Hamilton told him with a smile. "And I'll do a little digging of my own. Meanwhile, I'll be meeting with David to discuss his case and prepare his defense. David has made some very powerful enemies…you both have…and they're not all in this city." He paused at the front entrance to the courthouse and looked at Hutch gravely. "I have it on good authority that the DA is going to ask for the death penalty."

"Fuck," Hutch muttered under his breath. That was a possibility that he had managed to ignore up until now. The death penalty in California had only recently been reinstated after being suspended since 1972. If Starsky was found guilty and given the death penalty that meant that he would automatically be sent to San Quentin and housed with some of the most dangerous and violent criminals in the state. He'd never last long enough to be executed. Not in that place.

Lew and Hutch said their goodbye and went their separate ways. Badly in need of a drink, Hutch immediately headed for The Pits. When Huggy saw him walk in through the front door, he nodded at Diana to take over for him and came out from behind the bar to meet the tall blond.

"Let's go upstairs." Huggy said, taking Hutch's arm and leading him over to the hidden stairway that led up to the second floor. "I got a bottle of aged whiskey up there with your name written all over it."

At the top of the steps, Huggy opened the door to smallest of the two apartments that he kept for his friends who needed a place to stay or somewhere to sleep it off when they were too drunk to drive home. Hutch had spent his share of time in that apartment, the most memorable being three long days when Starsky helped him get off drugs after he had been forcibly addicted to heroin. Painful memories of that time still lingered in dark recesses of Hutch's mind.

As Hutch sat down at the tiny table sitting in one corner of the room, Huggy retrieved a bottle of Tennessee sipping whiskey and two glasses. He poured each of them a glass of the rich amber liquid and sat down across from Hutch. "They didn't give him bail, did they?"

"No, he has to sit in county until his trial. Luckily, that's only going to be for a couple of weeks." Hutch muttered in a bitter voice as he took a healthy drink of the alcohol. He closed his eyes as he felt the whiskey burn its way down his throat to his stomach, giving him a pleasant glow and warming him from the inside out.

"How's Curly holding up?" Huggy said as he took a more moderate sip of his whiskey.

"As well as can be expected, I guess." Hutch said in a weary voice. He raised pale blue eyes to look at Huggy with a somber expression. "Lew said the DA is going to ask for the death penalty."

"Fuck," Huggy muttered under his breath, feeling Hutch's despair and pain as if it were his own. He tried to lighten the tension that had settled in the air, "Hey, Lew's the best there is. You gotta trust him. If anybody can get Starsky out of this mess, he can."

"What if he can't?" Hutch whispered, his eyes filling with unshed tears as he voiced his biggest fear. The fear of losing Starsky. "What if they find Starsky guilty and sentence him to death for something he didn't do?"

"Then you keep fighting until you find a way to prove he's innocent." Huggy said firmly. "And you keep fighting until you can't fight anymore."

Hutch finished his drink in one long swallow and immediately poured another. Huggy sighed and sat back in his chair to keep an eye on his blond friend. It was obvious that Hutch intended to get drunk and it was Huggy's responsible to watch over him while he did. He knew that he was a poor substitution for Starsky but he would have to do until the brunet was back where he belonged at Hutch's side.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

With new things to worry about, Hutch's frustration with the case increased substantially. Starsky had always teased him by telling him that he could go a guilt trip over the most minor issues, but this guilt trip was out of control. He kept running through all the 'what if' scenarios through his mind. What could he have done differently to keep Starsky from being accused of murdering Prudolm? Was Prudolm in this alone or was there someone else involved? How was Hutch going to find the evidence he needed to prove Starsky's innocence and free him from jail? Unable to sleep, he made long lists of suspects to talk to; old cases to review to see if he could find any new evidence that might help Starsky, key people to investigate as discreetly as possible. Hutch had his work cut out for him and very little time to find the answers that he so desperately needed. And this time, he was on his own. Starsky wasn't there to help him.

Tuesday at 4 pm, Hutch went to County lockup for his first official visit with his partner. He was relieved to see that a different guard was on duty in the main reception area. Per regulations, he locked his weapon in a secured box along with his car keys, his wallet and his badge. After walking through the metal detector to make sure he wasn't carrying any other concealed weapons, Hutch was finally escorted through several locked doors into the bowels of the jail. He was left in a tiny room that held a battered table covered with cigarette burns and two rickety wooden chairs. At least there would be no glass barrier between him and his partner like there were at some of the other local jails.

A few minutes later, Starsky was led into the room. The guard took up his customary spot next to the door where he could watch Starsky and his visitor. Instead of the orange jumpsuit, Starsky was wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and matching tee shirt with the word _Prisoner_ stenciled across the back in large black letters. The wounds on his face were almost healed with just a faint trace of the bruising still evident. The stitches had been removed and the cut healed without leaving a scar.

As Starsky took the seat across from Hutch, the big blond saw the weariness etched on his friend's rugged features. He wondered just how much sleep Starsky had been getting since he had been locked up in this place. He could see the coiled tension in those sinewy muscles and muscular shoulders. As a prisoner in the general population and an identified target for the rage of the other inmates, Starsky had to constantly be on guard to ward off any unexpected attack.

"Hey," Hutch said with an encouraging smile.

"Hey," Starsky replied with that same ghost of a smile that beginning to get under Hutch's skin. He missed Starsky's crooked thousand watt grin that lit up his entire face. He longed to reach out and gather his partner close but that was impossible under the guard's watchful eye. Touch had always been such an ingrained part of their relationship that Hutch found himself missing being able to give that comfort and receive it in return.

"You doing okay?"

"Don't worry about me. I'm okay but you look like crap." Starsky said

"I'm gonna leave you money when I leave in case you need anything?"

"How about a file for the bars?" Starsky quipped, a trace of his usual sense of humor slipping through. His eyes clouded with remorse when he saw the pain that flickered through Hutch's eyes at his unintentional reminder of where Starsky was.

"Sure," Hutch answered with a forced smile. "I'll bake you a cake and hide one inside."

"Make sure it's chocolate." Starsky bantered back.

"Just don't get carried away and swallow the file or it won't do you much good."

The two friends exchanged a smile drawing comfort from the familiar bantering back and forth. Hutch took a deep breath and turned serious.

"I read the autopsy report on Prudolm. He had cancer. If he hadn't jumped off that building, he would have been dead in a matter of weeks anyway."

"So he didn't have anything to lose." Starsky muttered in a dejected tone. "It was his last chance to take me out before he bought it."

"That still doesn't explain why three of the cops at the scene swore that they saw you push him."

"Cops can be bought. You know that, buddy."

"Yeah, but who? Prudolm didn't have access to that kind of money. The only money he had access to was social security benefits. That's barely enough to live on."

"So maybe he found a benefactor while he was in prison." Starsky suggested. "He had to have help to plan his escape."

"I checked out the guard that was killed, the one they think helped him escape. He came up clean. Why would he suddenly turn dirty?"

"Unless Prudolm had something on him."

"Or somebody else did." Hutch suggested thoughtfully. "Maybe somebody was threatening him or his family."

"It would still have to be somebody who had more influence and power than Prudolm." Starsky said with a heavy sigh.

"So we still don't have nothing." Hutch grumbled in a discouraged voice. "I'm gonna find a way to get you out of here, buddy." He said in a fiercely determined voice. "You can count on that."

"At least that bastard didn't have a chance to go after you." Starsky said in a gruff tone. "I couldn't have lived with that. If anything had happened to you, I would have killed him and I wouldn't have had any regrets about doing it. I'm glad he's dead, even if I am in here for something I didn't do." An uneasy silence filled the room for several minutes before Starsky looked at Hutch solemnly and said, "Hutch, if this turns out bad…if they find me guilty," Starsky started, holding up his hand to stop the automatic protests he saw on Hutch's lips "If they find me guilty…I want you to take anything you want out of my apartment and send the rest of the stuff to Ma. You can do whatever you want with the Torino. I won't need it where I'm going..." He paused and locked eyes with his partner as if he knew Hutch wasn't going to like what he had to say next, "And if I do get convicted and sent to death row…I don't want you coming there to visit me. I don't want you to see me in a place like that. It's bad enough to have you see me in here."

Before Hutch could answer, the guard cleared his throat and announced, "Time's up."

Hutch stood up and left the room first. His sensitive heart ached for his friend and what he was going through in this place. The loss of freedom and the enforced isolation was taking it toll, slowly draining Starsky of his vitality. He was already starting to give up, as if he had accepted his fate.

Hutch decided to go back to headquarters to catch up on some overdue paperwork and make some phone calls. He needed something to keep him distracted from his darkest thoughts. Still, even as he worked, he couldn't help turning the pieces of the puzzle over in his mind, searching for the elusive answers.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Starsky was returned to his cell after his visit with Hutch. He cringed as the door slammed shut with a loud click as it locked. He knew that he would never get used to that sound, the sound of being locked away from the rest of the world outside these walls.

He sat down on the thin mattress that covered the metal bunk bolted to the wall. He leaned back and closed his eyes, blocking out the noise around him. It was never totally quiet in this place. Even after the lights were turned out at night, he could still hear the other prisoners in their individual cells as they coughed, whispered to each other, or cried out in their sleep. Sometimes there were other more ominous sounds echoing in the darkness that he did his best to drown out.

He was exhausted but he could never truly relax. There were too many men in his cellblock that he and Hutch had put here. More than one of them had tried to even the score since he had been moved from solitary confinement to the general population after he was denied bail. So far, Starsky had managed to fend for himself, resorting to the down and dirty style of fighting he had learned on the mean streets of New York when he was a kid. But, he knew that sooner or later his luck would run out and he'd go down but he wouldn't go down easy.

He heard the squeak of the meal cart as the supper trays were delivered to the prisoners. The cart paused outside of his cell and the trustee took one of the trays, sliding it beneath the slot in the bottom of the cell door. As the cart moved on down the hall Starsky roused himself enough to check out the tray.

Lumpy mashed potatoes that were probably cold, a slab of something that was supposed to be meat covered with runny brown gravy, a slice of stale white bread, and a cup of watered down coffee. Starsky wrinkled his nose in distaste and left the tray where it was. He'd rather go hungry than try to choke down the slop that the jail tried to pass off as edible. Luckily, Starsky could use his commissary privileges to buy candy bars and potato chips that he hoarded away for the week.

After the supper trays were collected, one of the guards came to his cell to escort Starsky to the shower room. That was another indignity that offended Starsky's personal hygiene habits. Prisoners were only allowed a shower and a fresh change of clothes twice a week under the watchful eye of a guard. Starsky was accustomed to taking communal showers, both in the Army and the Police Academy, but taking a shower here was both embarrassing and degrading.

The water in the showers was never hot; it was barely warm, so Starsky showered as quickly as he could. But, no matter how much he scrubbed, he could never seem to wash away the stench of this place. Even when he was redressed in clean clothes, he still felt dirty. Starsky wondered if he would ever really feel clean again. Catcalls and obscenities followed him as the guard escorted him back to his cell but Starsky ignored them.

Locked back in his cell for the night, Starsky threw himself down on his bunk with his arm covering his eyes. _God, Hutch…please get me out of here!_ Thinking of happier times spent with his best friend to take his mind off his present situation, Starsky tried to sleep but his exhausted mind resisted. When he finally did drift into a restless, troubled slumber, his dreams were dark images of disembodied hands reaching out of the darkness to grab him.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

The days passed slowly with no break in the case. Starsky remained behind bars while Hutch called in favors, talked to snitches and dug into their past cases, searching for any new evidence that could be used to exonerate his partner. But, he came up empty at every turn. Three weeks later, the Starsky's trial for murder was ready to begin.

The first three days were spent with selection of the jury members. Finally, twelve people were chosen, five women and seven men who would be expected to decide Starsky's fate based on the evidence they heard during the trial. Hutch occupied his time pacing the hallways outside the courtroom while the jury selection was going on. Afterwards, he went to Starsky's apartment.

He felt strange about letting himself into the apartment when Starsky wasn't there. The air felt heavy and stale, so he opened a couple of windows to air it out. He had collected Starsky's mail and laid it on the table. He would go through it later and sort out the personal mail from the bills. He would take care of the bills and then Lew would deliver the rest to Starsky at the jail.

He went into Starsky's bedroom and opened the closet. Starsky's shirts and jeans were all hung neatly on the hangers. In the back of the closet were two zippered bags. One contained Starsky good black suit that he only wore to funerals and weddings. The other bag contained Starsky's dress uniform, which was also reserved for funerals and other official ceremonies. Hutch took out the bag with the black suit, along with Starsky's white button down shirt. He laid the clothes on the bed and sorted through Starsky's dresser until he found clean underwear, socks and a blue tie. He finished off the ensemble with a pair of black dress shoes that Starsky seldom wore. Hutch would take the clothes to Lew's office along with the mail so he could deliver them in time for Starsky to wear them to court. In the bathroom, he gathered up Starsky's shaving kit and a bottle of his favorite sandalwood cologne. Hutch couldn't resist taking off the cap and inhaling a lungful of the familiar scent.

Hutch gathered up the clothes and grabbed the mail on his way out the door. He stopped to drop everything off before heading home. After a quick bite to eat, he watched some television and then turned in early so he would be well rested. Tomorrow the trial would start with his testimony. As a witness for the defense, he wasn't allowed in the courtroom as a spectator until after he testified, so Lew had made sure that Hutch would be the first one called and Hutch was grateful for that small favor. The only thing he would miss would be the opening arguments.

The next morning Hutch made sure he was up early enough to take a two mile run and a shower before he had to leave for court. He shaved and then carefully dressed in his dress blues complete with all his medals pinned to the breast of his uniform. Lew wanted the jury to have a visual image of Hutch's official status in the department. The patch on his sleeve identified him by his formal rank, sergeant second class. He carefully sat his hat on his head, adjusting it to just the right angle as he walked out the door.

The front steps of the courthouse were already teeming with reporters looking for sound bites for their story. Hutch shouldered his way past them, barking curtly "No Comment" to the more aggressive reporters who shoved their microphones in his face. They were barred from entering the courthouse during the trial to avoid the unfavorable publicity that Starsky's case was generating. Hutch checked in with the court clerk before taking a seat on one of the wooden benches in the hallway just outside the courtroom where Starsky's fate would be decided.

He sat there for almost twenty minutes before the door opened and the bailiff called his name. Squaring his shoulders, Hutch walked proudly into the crowded courtroom. Most of the seats were already taken. Some of the spectators were mutual friends of the duo who were there to show their support while others were simply curious voyeurs who wanted to watch the trial first hand. Others, including Huggy and Captain Dobey, were noticeably absent. They were also witnesses for the defense and would not be allowed into the courtroom until later in the trial.

Hutch walked to the front of the room and raised his right hand to be sworn in. He took the oath in a loud, clear voice that carried to the back of the room. He sat down at the witness stand and Lew stepped forward to begin his defense. Hutch locked eyes briefly with Starsky, their gaze expressing their love and loyalty to each other for everyone to see.

"Detective Hutchinson," Lew said, as he smiled at the jury. "How long have you known the defendant, David Starsky?"

"For over ten years. We went to the Police Academy together."

"And how long have the two of you been police partners?"

"Seven years."

"Were you present on the day in question when the victim, George Prudolm, fell to his death?"

"I arrived on the scene just after he had fallen."

"So you did not see Mr. Prudolm fall to his death?"

"No, I did not."

"Which means you can not say with any certainty if your partner pushed Mr. Prudolm to his death or not?"

"No." Hutch admitted, glancing almost apologetically at his partner. If Hutch had been with Starsky then at least the brunet would have an alibi, an eyewitness who could testify that he didn't push Prudolm. He had already gone over his testimony with Lew before the trial and even though he knew what questions Lew was going to ask, it was still difficult to have to answer any question that could cast a shadow of doubt on his partner's innocence.

"After you arrived on the scene, where was your partner when you first saw him?"

"I saw him standing at the edge of the roof, looking down, then he disappeared. I ran up to the roof and found Starsky crouched down in the corner of the building."

"What kind of condition was Detective Starsky in when you found him?"

"He appeared to be confused and disoriented…he didn't respond to me at first."

"Did you notice any injuries on Detective Starsky's person?"

"Not until I got him off the roof and into the car. Then I noticed blood on the side of his face and in his hair."

"So, Detective Starsky was injured in the altercation with the victim?"

"Yes."

"Did Detective Starsky go to the hospital for treatment?"

"Yes, the doctor said he had a moderately severe concussion which accounted for the confusion and disorientation."

"And how did Detective Starsky receive that injury?"

"He told me that he was hit in the head by the victim."

"Was the weapon used to hit Detective Starsky with found at the scene?"

"Yes, a lead pipe was found with traces of his hair and blood on it."

"Detective Hutchinson, you and your partner are quite close, aren't you?"

"Yes, he's my best friend."

"Do you believe that he murdered the victim as the prosecution is claiming?"

"No." Hutch declared in a firm, clear voice.

"What do you think happened?" Lew probed gently.

"Objection. Calls for speculation on the part of the witness." The prosecutor claimed.

"Sustained." The Judge ordered, throwing out the question.

"Let me rephrase the question." Lew said with a friendly smile at the judge. He turned his attention back to Hutch. "What did Detective Starsky tell you happened?"

"He said that Prudolm jumped him on purpose." Hutch said giving the jury the answer that Hamilton wanted them to hear.

"Your partner and the victim had a long history of animosity, didn't they?"

"Yes."

"Could you elaborate a little on that history?"

"Prudolm blamed Starsky for the death of his son. We busted him for selling drugs to high school students and he was knifed to death in County two weeks later."

"How did Mr. Prudolm react to his son's death?"

"He went after Starsky. The first time, he killed three cops trying to force Starsky to resign from the force."

"When was this?"

"Two years ago."

"What happened?"

"We caught him and he was sent to Cabrillo State."

"Something happened again last year that involved Mr. Prudolm. Isn't that correct?"

"Yes, Prudolm escaped and murdered Starsky's fiancé. Terry Roberts."

"So, Detective Starsky has had other opportunities in the past to kill Mr. Prudolm but he didn't. Instead, he acted as an officer of the law and arrested him for his crimes."

"Yes."

Hamilton smiled, satisfied that he had presented a positive picture of Starsky to the jury. He asked Hutch several more questions about his friendship with Starsky and about Starsky's character in general. When he finished, it was the prosecutor's turn to cross examine Hutch. The prosecutor smiled coldly as he approached Hutch like a lion stalking its prey. Hutch narrowed his eyes and prepared himself for the attack. He had played this game before and didn't intend to let the man twist his words around for the benefit of the jury. Since Hutch had been declared a hostile witness to the prosecution, the prosecutor would be allowed to ask Hutch leading questions, something that was not usually allowed.

"Detective Hutchinson, you would do anything in your power to protect your partner, wouldn't you?"

"Yes. That's my job as his partner."

"You'd even lie for him, wouldn't you?" the prosecutor sneered.

"Objection!" Hamilton immediately declared. "Inflammatory."

"Sustained." The judge agreed. "Mr. Edwards, you will refrain from making derogatory statements regarding the witness's character. The jury will disregard that last question."

"Yes, your honor." The prosecutor smiled. Even though the jury had been instructed to ignore the last question, they had still heard it asked and that was what he had intended. He turned his attention back to Hutch. "Detective Hutchinson, last year when Mr. Prudolm was accused of killing Mr. Starsky's fiancé, she didn't die immediately, did she?"

"No, she died a week later when the bullet in her brain shifted and killed her."

"Was the gun used to shoot Ms. Roberts ever recovered?"

"No."

"Then how can you say with any certainty that Mr. Prudolm was responsible for her death?"  
"His fingerprints were found at the scene and when he was apprehended, Prudolm admitted to the shooting."

"The victim never actually tried to kill Mr. Starsky, did he?"

"No, just the people that Starsky cared about…the people close to him."

"Including you?"  
"Yes."

"As a matter of fact, you and your partner are more than 'just friends' aren't you, Detective?" the prosecutor said with a smirk. 'And you have been for some time…"

"Objection!" Lew bellowed, jumping to his feet. "The witness's private life is not pertinent to this case!"

"Sustained." The judge ruled "Mr. Edwards, one more remark like that and I will hold you in contempt of this court!"

"I'm sorry, your honor." Edwards said, his smile showing that he was anything but sorry.

Hutch sat there during the exchange, his posture relaxed and his face unreadable. The accusation was an old one and it didn't bother Hutch. He knew it was a feeble attempt on the part of the prosecution to try and smear his credibility with the jury. Having been raised in a cold, unemotional family with a father that demanded perfection, Hutch had learned at an early age to keep his emotions tightly under control and hidden away from anyone except for Starsky. Starsky was only person who could push past that cold, reserved WASP exterior and reach his more vulnerable side.

"Detective Hutchinson, why weren't you with your partner when he confronted Mr. Prudolm that day?" Edwards asked

"I was in another part of the building when he got a call from Prudolm." Hutch said choosing his words with care.

"Is your partner in the habit of taking off without you?"

"Not usually but sometimes it can't be helped."

"Haven't you and your partner both been reprimanded in the past for not

following direct orders?" Edwards said his eyes dancing as he began to lay his trap. He continued before Hutch could answer "Like the direct order not to approach Mr. Prudolm without any back up?"

"If the situation calls for it…you do what's necessary to protect and serve." Hutch said calmly, his ice blue eye boring into the other man's face.

"Even disobey direct orders from a superior officer." Edwards snorted. He went on, changing tactics. "Has your partner ever been reprimanded for the use of unnecessary force?"

"Not officially." Hutch said

"But he has been reprimanded for it, hasn't he?" the prosecutor said "And he's also been investigated for the death of three suspects in the past. One of them a sixteen year old boy."

"Who was trying to shoot my partner at the time." Hutch said. He knew that Edwards was referring to Lonnie Craig, the young thug that had been caught robbing a mom and pop store in his neighborhood. It was his death at Starsky's hands that had sent Prudolm on his first rampage that resulted in the death of three cops.

"What about the other two suspects?" Edwards said with a savage grin. "Were they shooting at him when he fired his weapon and hit the gas tank of their car, blowing it up?"

"No, but they had just shot at me and he thought I was dead." Hutch said in a carefully controlled voice. "He shot at them to keep them from escaping."

"Isn't Mr. Starsky classified as a sharp shooter? As matter of fact, isn't he considered one of the best shots in the department?"

"Yes."

"So you're telling me that Mr. Starsky shot at a retreating car and hit the gas tank by accident thus blowing it up and killing the two men inside after he had just seen them shoot you and he assumed that you were dead?" Edwards smirked as if he were reciting a fantasy instead of the facts of the case. "If this court believes that then I have some swamp land for sale in Montana."

"Objection!" Hamilton shouted "He's badgering the witness!"

"I have no more questions for this witness." Edwards said in a dismissive tone as he returned to his seat, satisfied that he had introduced evidence that could discredit Starsky and shed doubt on Hutch's credibility.

"You may step down, Detective." The Judge said solemnly. Hutch nodded and unfolded his lanky frame. With his head held high, he stepped down from the witness stand and took a seat two rows behind the defense table. Starsky turned his head and flashed him a quick smile. Hutch smiled back and waited for the next witness to be called.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

Captain Dobey was the next witness called to the stand. In his black suit, white shirt and tie, he presented an imposing figure to the court. Even without saying a word, he presented an authoritative image that befitted his rank in the BCPD. Since he had been called as a witness for the prosecution, Edwards questioned him first.

"Captain Dobey, you are David Starsky's commanding officer, are you not?"

"Yes."

"And how long has he been under your command?"

"Seven years, ever since he was promoted to Detective."

"Has Mr. Starsky ever presented a disciplinary problem?"

"There have been times that I have had to reprimand him." Dobey reluctantly admitted. "Both formally and informally." Dobey knew that Starsky's police file had been subpoenaed by the prosecution. There was no way to avoid answering the question.

"When was the last time you were forced to reprimand Mr. Starsky and what did you have to reprimand him for?"

"I had to formally reprimand him for disobeying a direct order and going after George Prudolm without backup."

"Does Mr. Starsky make it a habit of disobeying direct orders from a superior officer?"

"No, not under normal circumstances."

"But he does have a tendency to disobey direct orders if he thinks he can get away with it, doesn't he?" Edwards demanded with a smirk.

"Objection!" Hamilton said, jumping to his feet. "Calls for speculation on the part of the witness."

"Sustained." The judge agreed as he gave the prosecutor a disapproving glance.

"Captain Dobey, would you say that Mr. Starsky was a good police officer?"

"Yes," Dobey said firmly. "He's one of my best men."

"Isn't it true that Mr. Starsky and his partner often use tactics that are considered a bit unorthodox?"

"They get the job done. That's all that matters."

"Even if they bend the rules to do it?"

"Objection. Badgering the witness." Hamilton interjected

"Sustained." The judge agreed "Mr. Edwards, please refrain from formulating your own opinions about the way Detective Starsky and Detective Hutchinson performed their duty as police officers for this city and let's move on."

"I apologize, your honor." Edwards said with the appropriate amount of contrition in his voice. He looked back at Dobey and smiled thinly, prepared to continue with his cross examination. "Isn't it true that Mr. Starsky is known to have quite a volatile temper?"

"Yes, Detective Starsky has a temper." Dobey admitted, stressing his use of Starsky's formal title. "But he knows how to control it, especially when he's on the job."

"So he's never lost his temper when dealing with a suspect, no matter what the circumstances?"

"Of course he's lost his temper." Dobey said sharply. "He's human just like the rest of us." A titter ran through the crowd as they showed their amusement at Dobey's retort. "It's hard not to lose your temper with a suspect who has raped and murdered four innocent children."

His last statement had been made to make a point, to highlight an example of the atrocities police officers were forced to deal with every day on the job, but the prosecutor pounced on his answer and said with a smirk, "Or a man who has killed your fiancé in cold blood with no remorse."

"Mr. Edwards," The judge said in a warning tone.

"I have no more questions for this witness, your honor." Edwards said with a satisfied smile as he let Hamilton take over.

Lew stepped forward, greeting Dobey with a warm smile. In a calm, quiet voice, he said, "Captain Dobey, you consider Detective Starsky and his partner, not just professional colleagues, but personal friends as well, don't you?"

"Yes, I do." Dobey admitted with a warm genuine smile.

"And as you stated previously, you consider them to be the best team in your department. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Isn't it also true that they had been directly responsible for solving some of the most high profile cases in this city in spite of their somewhat unorthodox approach to doing their job?"

"Yes." Dobey said with a smile.

"Have you ever known Detective Starsky to take the law into his own hands when it comes to a suspect?"

"No." The burly black man said firmly.

"As Detective Starsky's commanding officer do you believe that he pushed the victim off that roof?"

"No, I do not."

"As Detective Starsky's commanding officer were you informed that he was going to be arrested for murder?"

"No, the Internal Affairs officers in charge of the case chose to ignore protocol and I was not informed of Detective Starsky's arrest until after he had already been booked and transferred to the County Lockup."

"Is that the normal procedure when a police officer is suspected of a crime?"

"No, it is not. As Detective Starsky's commanding officer, I should have been notified of his pending arrest and of the charges being leveled against him."

"So, the two Internal Affairs officers in charge of investigating this case, ignored standard operating procedure by failing to inform you of the pending arrest?"

"Yes."

"Have you been given the opportunity, as Detective Starsky's commanding officer, to review the evidence that was used to issue the warrant for Detective Starsky's arrest?"

"Yes, I have."

"And in your professional opinion, does that evidence clearly show that Detective Starsky is guilty of the crime that he has been accused of?"

"No, it does not." Dobey stated firmly. "It's completely circumstantial."

"Thank you, Captain Dobey." Hamilton smiled at the judge. "I have no more questions for this witness."

The Judge nodded his head solemnly. "You may step down, Captain Dobey."

Dobey took his time rising to his feet and walking to a seat at the back of the room. He settled down on the bench and leaned back to observe the rest of the trial.

The rest of the morning was spent listening to the testimony of the uniformed officers who had arrived at the scene just minutes before Hutch. As predicted, they were split in their opinions of what had happened. Three of them swore that they had seen Starsky push Prudolm while the rest stated that they weren't sure what had happened. Hamilton was able to get them to admit that Prudolm could have slipped or jumped.

After a break for lunch, the rest of the afternoon was spent on the coroner's testimony. He described in vivid detail both the autopsy and the injuries that Prudolm had received in the fall from the top of a three story building. In layman's terms Prudolm had died of a broken neck and massive internal injuries. During his cross examination, Hamilton was able to present the evidence that Prudolm had cancer and would have died in a few weeks from it even if he hadn't fallen or been pushed from the roof. He presented the theory to the jury that the cancer gave Prudolm a motive for committing suicide in such a way that Starsky would be blamed for his death. The prosecutor objected but the point had been made to the jury which was Hamilton's intent. Court was recessed for the day after the coroner's testimony.

Hutch caught up with Lew as he was leaving the courthouse for the afternoon. He smiled faintly. "How do you think it went in there today?"

"About as well as can be expected. Your testimony and Dobey's helped but the rest of the testimony hurt."

"There has to be a way to prove that the three cops who said that they saw Starsky push Prudolm off that roof are lying."

"Well, that's going to be up to you to find out. But, that still won't be enough to get an acquittal."

"In other words, the only way to get Starsky out of this mess is to prove that Prudolm jumped off that roof." Hutch said in a discouraged voice.

"Unless we get a sympathetic juror who refuses to convict." Lew smiled faintly. "It's only the first day. I wouldn't start worrying yet."

"What if this thing goes sour and they find him guilty?" Hutch asked in a tightly controlled voice. "What if they give him the death penalty?"

"Then we appeal and we keep appealing until David runs out of appeals. And that's when you start praying."

"I'm already praying." Hutch said somberly. Stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets, he turned and walked away. The stress of the day had left him emotionally exhausted. He had made notes throughout the day, writing down his thoughts as they came to him. He would review his notes later and add to them. A good detective never knows when he will find the lead that will break a case wide open.

Unwilling to go home or to headquarters, Hutch drove aimlessly through the busy streets with no particular destination in mind. He knew that Starsky often took long drives just to relax or blow off steam and he hoped that maybe the same thing would work for him now. But. he found that he couldn't keep his mind focused on his driving, his thoughts kept drifting back to his partner. Finally, he made his way to a secluded section of beach where he sometimes came with Starsky when they felt the need to be alone, away from the bustle of the city and the demands of their job.

Climbing out of his car, he took off his shoes and walked barefoot through the sand, lost in thought. He lost track of time, only noticing his surroundings when dusk began to fall. Realizing that he had been walking for hours and was some distance from the car, he reluctantly turned around and headed back. Tomorrow was another day and he needed to get some rest so he'd be ready to continue the fight for his partner's freedom.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

The following day was taken up with testimony by Huggy Bear and the doctor at the hospital who had treated Starsky that day for shock and a concussion. Simonetti and Dryden also testified. They documented the various times they had investigated Starsky for different charges and offenses. Although they tried to portray Starsky as a loose canon who disregarded the rules and was potentially dangerous, Lew got them to admit that they had been forced to drop their previous cases against Starsky for lack of evidence. It was another long, stressful day in court for everyone involved.

The third day of the trial brought two surprise witnesses. One was a man who had served with Starsky in Viet Nam. His name was Hamilton Fisher and he testified that during his military service, Starsky had been part of an elite team that went deep in country and infiltrated enemy camps. Their job was to eliminate the enemy and Starsky had been one of the best men on the squad. He had killed with precision, stealth, and deadly accuracy.

When it was Lew's turn to question the witness, he skillfully uncovered the fact that the man had been part of the same squad and that he had been discharged from the military for his part in a raid on a village of women and children, a raid that Starsky had refused to take part in. Lew also uncovered the fact that Starsky had been seriously injured saving a child during the raid and spent months in a military hospital recovering before being medically discharged with honors from the Army.

The second witness was an ex-girlfriend of Starsky's named Maggie Peterson. She testified that she had broken up with Starsky because of the demands of his job. She also stated on the stand that there were times she was afraid of him, that he had a violent, unpredictable temper that flared without any warning. During cross examination, Lew was able to get her to confess that the breakup had not been an amicable one. That it had been Starsky who had broken up with her because she resented his friendship with Hutch and wanted Starsky to quit his job.

Still, the testimony given that day presented the jury with a negative view of Starsky, the image of a volatile, unpredictable man who was capable of killing with his bare hands without any remorse or regret. Lew did his best to counter that image by calling several character witnesses on Starsky's behalf. These witnesses described Starsky as compassionate, caring and dedicated to his job. Lew drew out tidbits from Starsky's life to show to the jury. The image of a loving son who called his mother faithfully on Friday nights and sent her money every month to help with her bills. A man who volunteered to spend time with the special needs children at the school where his dead fiancée had worked as a teacher. A man who had overcome the obstacles in his life and built a niche for himself in Bay City. A highly decorated police officer who had earned the respect of his peers, even the ones who did not like him personally.

Hutch left the courthouse that day and headed for the County lockup for his semi-weekly visit with Starsky. He tried to keep the brunet's spirits up and give him as much emotional support as he could. After much deliberation with both Hutch and Lew, Starsky had decided to testify on his own behalf. That testimony was scheduled for the following day and Lew had warned Starsky in advance that he would probably be on the stand for most of the day.

A defendant in any legal proceeding has right to testify on his own behalf. In a criminal case such as Starsky was facing, the defendant's lawyer will often argue against it because it allows the prosecution to try every tactic at their disposal to confuse the defendant or to goad him into losing control on the stand. It was a risk that Starsky was willing to take. His life, his reputation and everything else that mattered to him was on the line.

After going through the usual routine at the jail, Hutch was escorted through the dimly lit halls to the visiting area. In the five weeks since Starsky's incarceration, Hutch had watched helplessly as the loss of his freedom had drained the spark from Starsky's luminous eyes. Starsky didn't talk about the conditions at the jail or his interaction with the other inmates but Hutch wasn't blind. He had seen the occasional bruises and the haunted look that lingered in Starsky's eyes.

"Nervous about tomorrow?" Hutch greeted his partner as they sat at the table.

Starsky shrugged one shoulder and glanced at his partner knowingly. "Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters." Hutch insisted, concern for his friend's state of mind coloring his words. "You can't give up hope…not now."

"Hope's all I got left."

"Starsk, I'm still digging…somebody out there knows what really happened and I'm gonna find them. I promise."

"Sure you are." Starsky said with a ghost of a smile. "Crawl in a few more sewers and look in some more dumpsters. Drag some drainage ditches."

"Pay off a few snitches," Hutch said with a faint smile, picking up on his partner's rambling tone. "Track down a few more scum bags. I just wish you were out there helping me. We'd have that sucker nailed down by now."

Starsky smiled but there was a sadness in that smile that tore at Hutch's heart. There was a long, uncomfortable silence and then Starsky said in a resigned tone,

"I'm not gonna make it out of this, Hutch. You and I both know it…if somebody else did set this up…they did a damn good job of it. You're never going to find out whose behind it. I'm gonna go down for murder one and we both know what that means."

"Stop it!" Hutch said sharply, trying to break through that wall that Starsky was determined to throw up between them. "As long as there's a breath left in my body, I'm gonna keep looking until I find a way to prove that you didn't push Prudolm off that roof. You got that?"

"Yeah, I got it." Starsky said with a weak smile. He hadn't expected anything less from his determined partner. He knew if anyone could prove his innocence it was his Hutch. But, Starsky was a realist. He knew he wouldn't be the first innocent man to be sent to prison, or even to death row, for a crime he didn't commit.

"Are you sure you really want to go through with testifying tomorrow?" Hutch asked his partner in a worried voice.

"I have to, Blondie." Starsky said "It's the only chance I'll have to tell my side of the story."

"The prosecutor's gonna try and crucify you once he gets you on that stand."

"Let him try," Starsky said with the first genuine smile Hutch had seen in a long time "I don't go down easy."

"That's the spirit." Hutch said with a grin, relieved to see a flash of the Starsky stubbornness that he knew so well. They had both testified in court enough times in their years on the force that they knew how to conduct themselves on the witness stand. They were aware of every trick the prosecutor would use to try and trip them up. And Hutch knew that he would do his best to get Starsky to lose his temper on the stand, to show how volatile the brunet's temper really was. Hutch hoped that he wouldn't succeed.

"One way or the other, it'll soon be over." Starsky said, slipping back into that guarded, self protective mode that disturbed Hutch more than he cared to admit.

"I've been checking out the three cops who claim they saw you push Prudolm off that roof and the hooker who said she overheard you talking about murdering him at Huggys." Hutch said, changing the subject. "There has to be something there. Their testimony is too pat…it sounds rehearsed."

"Think somebody bought them off?"

"I'd bet on it." Hutch said firmly. "I just can't prove it."

"No unexpected inheritances? No sudden windfalls?" Starsky said with a bitter smile. "No big wins at the crap tables?"

"Nope. That would be too easy." Hutch said with a smirk.

"What about some other kind of payoff?" Starsky said, his sharp mind grasping at other ideas.

"It's possible. I'll check it out." Hutch said, neglecting to mention that the same thought had already occurred to him. As long as he could keep Starsky thinking like a cop, then the brunet was actively participating in his own defense instead of sitting back passively and not doing anything.

"Time's up." The guard announced, stepping forward to escort Starsky back to his cell. Starsky and Hutch exchanged a lingering glance as the guard took Starsky's arm and pulled him to his feet. Hutch waited until the guard had left the room with his prisoner before leaving himself. This was the part he hated. He was free to walk out of this place but Starsky wasn't.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Starsky leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to shut out the noise around him. In his mind he reviewed the past three days and the testimony that had been presented against him. He agreed with Hutch's assumption that someone else was behind him being framed for Prudolm's murder but he had no idea who that might be. He had made some powerful enemies over the years and not just during his career as a police officer. There were still some dark secrets in his past that he had never revealed to anyone, not even Hutch.

"Hey, pig…" a taunting voice came from another cell. "How's it feel to know you're gonna fry just like me?"

Starsky recognized the voice. It belonged to a man named Emanuel Lewis. Starsky and Hutch had arrested him for the brutal rape and murder of seven teenage girls. His youngest victim had just turned thirteen and was his step-daughter. He was one of the inmates who had taunted and attacked Starsky whenever the opportunity presented itself. After their last confrontation, Lewis had spent two days in the infirmary and Starsky had spent a week in solitary confinement. Even though two guards had witnessed the fight and knew that Lewis had started it, they had taken it upon themselves to make an example of Starsky by tossing him in the hole.

When Starsky ignored Lewis, refusing to raise to the bait, the convicted murderer laughed and added, "That's if you live that long once you get to Q to get gassed. I just hope I'm there to see the other guys on death row rip you apart."

When Lewis grew tired of taunting him, Starsky sighed heavily and tried not to think about the possibility of his being sent to death row at San Quentin. California had the second highest number of prisoners on death row exceeded only by Texas but the lowest number of actual executions. Since 1977 when California re-instituted the death penalty, death row inmates were more likely to die of old age, suicide or being murdered by another inmate than by being executed in the gas chamber.

Even if he was found guilty and given the death penalty, the Supreme Court of California was required to hear all death penalty cases. With appeals, an actual execution date could be postponed for months, even years. Starsky had no doubt that his own life expectancy would be substantially shorter than that if he ended up there. He would be housed with the most dangerous and deadly criminals in the state. Men who had nothing to lose and way too much time on their hands to plot their revenge against the cop who had put a lot of them there. The death penalty would indeed be a death sentence for Starsky but not the way that the state intended.

.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

Starsky solemnly repeated the oath and then sat down in the witness stand. Since he was exercising his right to testify on his own behalf, Lew would question him first.

"Detective Starsky, could you tell this court when was the first time you came into contact with the victim, George Prudolm?"

"Approximately seven years ago, just after I was promoted to Detective. My partner, Hutch, and I were working undercover at a local high school to investigate reports of drug dealing on campus. The suspect in the case was Prudolm's son, Gary."

"So you arrested Gary Prudolm for drug dealing? Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Then what happened?"

"Gary Prudolm was knifed to death two weeks later in county lockup. George Prudolm blamed me for his son's death and threatened to get even."

"When was the next time you encountered George Prudolm?"

"A little over two years ago. He began killing cops, trying to force me to resign. He murdered three cops before we caught him."

"Did anything usual happen when you arrested him?"

"He tried to goad me into shooting him." Starsky stated in a calm, level voice.

"I arrested him and he was sent to Cabrillo State. He escaped last year."

"What happened when he escaped?" Lew asked gently. He already knew the answer and he knew that this would be the most difficult part of his testimony for Starsky.

"He was behind some robberies in our district, mom and pop grocery stores. During one of those robberies, he shot my fiancé."

"Did she die right away?"

"No, she walked around for over a week with a bullet in her head. The doctors told her that there was nothing they could do." A slight hesitation in his voice was the only outward sign of how painful it still was for him to talk about his darling, Terry.

"So she knew she was going to die, it was just a matter of time."

"Yes. The doctors told her she might live for up to a year if she stayed in bed, if she got up and moved around, the bullet could shift at any time and kill her. She chose to go on living her life the way she always had."

"Did Mr. Prudolm know she was your fiancée when he shot her?"

"Yeah, he knew. The clerk at the store where she was shot told us that they didn't take anything, they just shot her."

"How did you find out that Mr. Prudolm was behind the shooting?"

"We found a fingerprint on the cash register at the store where Terry was shot and Prudolm told me himself. He wanted to be sure I knew that he was the one responsible."

"What happened after that?"

"Just after Terry died, Prudolm pulled another robbery and took hostages. He threatened to kill them unless I came."

"So, you went and I assume that you arrested him."

"Yes, and he was found guilty and sent to prison for life."

"Then he got out again. Is that correct?"

"Yes. He killed a guard and escaped."

"Did Mr. Prudolm make contact with you after he escaped?"

"Yes. He called me at headquarters and told me that he'd grabbed a kid and he was going to kill him if I didn't meet him…alone."

"Did you tell your partner about this phone call?"

"No."

"Did you meet with Prudolm like he wanted?"

"Yes. He was holed up in an abandoned building downtown."

"Did you call for backup before you went into the building?"

"No."

"Even though you knew you were disobeying a direct order from your Captain not to approach Prudolm without backup?"

"He said he had a kid. I couldn't take a chance of him killing a little kid because of me."

"Was he holding a child hostage?"

"No, it was just a lie to get me there."

"What happened when you arrived at the location?"

"I went inside and I heard Prudolm running up the stairs that led to the roof so I followed him."

"And you found him on the roof?"

"Yes."

"What happened then?"

"We got into a fight. I managed to subdue him and started to cuff him. I got one hand cuffed and then he hit me with something. I was stunned enough that he was able to get up."

"What did he do?"

"He backed up against the edge of the roof. Then he looked me and put his hands behind his back. He snapped the other cuff around his wrist and then he said, "I'll see you in hell" Then he stepped off the roof backwards and fell three stories to the ground."

"So you're telling this court that Mr. Prudolm deliberately jumped to his own death?"

"That's what happened. I wasn't anywhere near him when he went off the roof."

"Detective Starsky, is it fair to say that you had several opportunities in the past to kill Mr. Prudolm if you so desired but instead of killing him, you did your job and arrested him for his crimes?"

"Yes."

Hutch had been watching Starsky carefully during his testimony. The brunet had remained calm; the only visible signs of any distress were a certain tightness around his eyes and the determined set of his jaw. Signs that only someone who knew him as well as Hutch did would recognize as signs of his emotional state.

"I have no more questions for this witness." Lew gave Starsky an encouraging smile as he turned to return to his seat and the prosecutor stepped forward to take over questioning. Starsky straightened his shoulders and braced himself for the ordeal he knew was about to begin.

"Mr. Starsky," Edwards began with a sneer, still refusing to use Starsky's formal title. "How many men have you killed during your career as a police officer?"

"A few."

"How many is a few? More than ten, less than twenty? Do you even know how many men you have shot and killed in the line of duty?"

"Seven." Starsky said firmly, refusing to be intimidated by the other man's taunting voice. "And all of those were ruled to be in self defense."

"Seven men during a ten year career with the police force." His eyes narrowed "And how many men did you kill during your time in the military?"

"Objection, your honor!" Lew objected, bouncing to his feet before Starsky could answer the question. "Detective Starsky's military service has no bearing on this case! Any man who served his country during the Viet Nam conflict as Detective Starsky did has been forced to kill, under orders, during his military career!"

"Sustained." The Judge agreed with a glare at the prosecutor. "Mr. Edwards, you will confine your questions to the facts of this case. If you continue to ignore those instructions you will be held in contempt of this court. Is that understood?"

"Yes, your honor. I apologize to this court and to Mr. Starsky." The prosecutor said with a smirk, obviously not repentant for his actions. He turned his attention back to Starsky and said, "Mr. Starsky, would it be fair to say that you are not sorry that Mr. Prudolm is dead?"

"No, I'm not sorry. He got what he deserved." Starsky said tightly. "He killed four people in a vendetta against me and he tried to kill my partner. And he would have continued killing innocent victims until he was stopped one way or the other."

"But wasn't he stopped when he was arrested and sent to prison?"

"Only until he found a way to escape." Starsky said gruffly. "And he always seemed to find a way to escape."

"So you killed him to stop him from finding a way to escape this time, didn't you?" the prosecutor demanded with a thin smile. "You took matters into your own hands to keep him from killing again!"

"Objection, your honor!" Lew barked "Badgering the witness."

"Objection sustained. Let's move on, counselor." The judge said in an irritated tone.

"Mr. Starsky, how did you meet Terry Roberts?" the prosecutor said, changing tactics abruptly.

"My partner and I went to the school where she taught to give a presentation to her class."

"And how long had you been seeing Miss Roberts when she was shot?"

"We'd been dating for almost two months." Starsky answered cautiously, wary of this line of questioning.

"Were the two of you dating exclusively at the time?"

"Yes."

"And it is your contention that Mr. Prudolm shot Ms. Roberts simply because of her relationship with you? Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"You have told this court that Ms. Roberts was your fiancé. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Were the two of you engaged at the time she was shot?"

"No."

"No?" the prosecutor said in a exaggerated voice. "When exactly did you ask Ms. Roberts to marry you?"

"After she was shot." Starsky admitted

"So you asked a woman that you knew was going to die from a bullet in her head to marry you?"

"Yes."

"That turned to be the shortest engagement in history, didn't it?" Edwards sneered "How long was it? Three days?"

"Objection!" Lew said sharply. "Detective Starsky's engagement to Ms. Roberts is not relevant to this case."

"Side bar, your honor." Edwards requested. The judge nodded and the two attorneys approached the bench. They began to argue their case to the judge.

"Your honor," Edwards scowled as he presented his side of the argument to the judge, "Detective Starsky's engagement to Ms. Roberts is relevant to this case. This is a woman that he had asked to marry him after she was shot by Mr. Prudolm. A woman that he contends that he would have married and had a family with if she hadn't been shot and died. It is the state's contention that this woman's death was the motive for Mr. Starsky's murder of George Prudolm."

"Your honor," Lew argued eloguently, "Ms. Roberts' murder was indeed a tragic event. But, if my client had wanted to kill Mr. Prudolm after Ms. Roberts' murder, he had ample opportunity during the hostage situation at the warehouse. He could have easily have shot Mr. Prudolm at that time and claimed self defense. Instead, he did his duty as a police officer and arrested him and let the court system punish him for his crimes."

"And then less than a year later, Mr. Prudolm escapes from prison again," Edwards argued back "At which time, Mr. Starsky decided to take matters into his own hands and end his dispute with Mr. Prudolm permanently."

"Gentlemen, while Ms. Roberts murder may well have been a factor here, I am not going to allow the State to waste the court's time by rehashing Ms. Roberts death at any length. Move on with your questioning, Mr. Edwards."

"Yes, sir." Edwards said in a disgruntled voice. Lew smiled in satisfaction as he moved back to his seat. He had warned Starsky that his relationship with Terry and her murder would be introduced as a possible motive but he had also promised Starsky that he would do as much as he could to keep that testimony at a minimum. He was confident that he had kept that promise.

Edwards turned back to Starsky with a glare in his eyes. "Mr. Starsky, isn't it true that despite what you have told this court here today, you deliberately disobeyed a direct order not to approach the victim without backup in order to put yourself in the position to be able to kill him without any witnesses being present?"

"NO!" Starsky denied adamantly, his jaw set in a hard line as he returned the prosecutors glare with one of his own.

"Isn't it also correct that you would have killed Mr. Prudolm previously if there had not been other officers present who would not have covered for you the way your partner would have?" He continued relentlessly. "Isn't that the only reason you arrested him after he murdered your fiancé instead of blowing him away?"

"No, I arrested him because that was my job." Starsky insisted coldly, struggling to control his temper at the other man's deliberate badgering and sarcasm. "George Prudolm was a monster who deserved to die but I didn't kill him."

"Mr. Prudolm may indeed have deserved to die for his crimes but that was up to a jury of his peers to decide. Not you. Just as it is the duty of this jury to hold you accountable for his murder." The prosecutor hissed. "No more questions for this witness, your honor." He said before Lew could raise any more objections to his line of questioning. He swaggered back his table confident that he had shown the jury David Starsky's true colors as the judge adjourned the court for the day.


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

The following morning dawned dark and overcast, fitting weather for Hutch's mood. Lew had warned him that this would likely be the last day of Starsky's trial and then the jury would decide his fate. He was cautiously optimistic about the outcome of the trial. Lew was confident that he had been able to present enough reasonable doubt to jury members to avoid Starsky being convicted of first degree murder but Hutch was still worried. He would not rest easy until Starsky was acquitted and released.

Hutch cursed vehemently when he got stuck in traffic and was late arriving at the courthouse. The trial was already in session and Lew was questioning the over aged hooker who had given the police a statement about overhearing Starsky talking about murdering Prudolm at The Pits. As Hutch found a seat in the back of the room, Starsky turned his head, his eyes instinctively seeking out his partner's face. A tiny smile of relief tugged at his lips as he turned back around to pay attention to the proceedings.

"Miss Ashworth," Lew was saying "Have you ever met Detective Starsky or his partner, Detective Hutchinson, before?"

"Yeah," the heavyset bleached blonde said "They busted me two years ago when I went after my old man with a thirty-two. I didn't hurt him none. I just scared the piss out of him." A titter ran through the audience at her comment and she smiled smugly revealing a mouthful of bad teeth.

"Would it be fair to say that you don't particularly care for cops?" Lew asked

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "I don't have any use for most cops but those two always treated me right."

"Why did you decide to come forward and testify against Detective Starsky today?"

"Because it was the right thing to do." She said defensively.

"Did anyone promise you anything in exchange for your testimony here today?"

"Nope." She replied firmly. "I'm just here to do my civic duty."

"No, more questions for this witness." Lew said with a heavy sigh as he turned away from the woman on the stand. No matter how hard he tried, the woman had stuck to her story about overhearing Starsky discussing a plan to murder Prudolm with Hutch at The Pits. It not only sounded bad for Starsky but it also cast a shadow over Hutch's testimony.

The prosecutor called two more witnesses to the stand. One was a felon that Starsky had busted while he was still in uniform who testified that Starsky had used excessive force while arresting him. He claimed to have filed a complaint with the department that had been ignored. In cross examination, Lew drew out the information that he had filed numerous complaints over the years against any police officer that he came into contact with.

The second witness was a woman who testified that Starsky had propositioned her for sex in exchange for letting her go on a drug charge. During an aggressive cross examination, Lew finally got her to admit that it may not have been Starsky but another officer who had propositioned her. After her testimony, the prosecutor rested his case.

Lew called three more witnesses for the defense. One was Starsky's landlady who testified that he had always paid his rent on time, repaired any damages to his apartment himself, and had helped to set up a community watch program in his neighborhood, as well as always being available to any of his neighbors who needed his help.

The second witness was Maria Ramiros. Her son, Kiko, had been Hutch's little brother for almost four years. She testified that her son had turned his life around thanks to Hutch and Starsky's influence and that he considered both men his 'big brothers'.

The last witness for the defense was Terry's sister, Karla. She testified that her sister had never blamed Starsky for her injury and had done everything in her power to make it easier for him to accept her inevitable death. She also testified that none of Terry's family members blamed Starsky for her death and that they still wrote to him occasionally. Although he and Terry had never married, her mother had 'adopted' Starsky as part of their family and Karla had named him as the godfather to her infant daughter, Linda.

After the defense rested its case, the attorneys prepared their summation for the jury. Lew went first. Slowly, he walked over to face the twelve members of the jury. Clasping his hands behind his back, he said solemnly, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, for the past few days, you have heard the case against Detective Starsky. You have heard how George Prudolm did everything in his power to seek revenge against Detective Starsky because he blamed him for the death of his son. The prosecution would have you believe that Detective Starsky finally had enough and killed George Prudolm in retaliation for the murder of his fiancée Terry Roberts, last year. He would also have you believe that Detective Starsky deliberately disobeyed a direct order and went after George Prudolm by himself in order to kill him and make it appear to be an accident. He would have you believe that this highly decorated police officer turned vigilante and killed George Prudolm in cold blood.

Now, you have heard witnesses who have testified that Detective Starsky has a volatile temper and often disregards procedure and does things his own way. There have been times that he has overstepped the boundaries of his chosen profession in order to arrest a dangerous criminal and sometimes he was forced to use excessive force to do that. He did not take that responsibility lightly."

Lew paused in his summation and looked at each member of the jury individually before continuing. It was so quiet in the room that you could have heard a pin drop.

"The question before you today is not what kind of police officer Detective Starsky is or even what kind of man he is. The question is if you believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that Detective Starsky deliberately pushed George Prudolm off that roof. Or was it a tragic accident? Did Mr. Prudolm slip? Or did he deliberately jump off that roof in order to frame Detective Starsky for his death? Those are the questions that you have to ask yourself in order to make your decision in this case. I beseech you not to take that responsibility lightly. If there is any doubt in your mind whatsoever, it is your duty and your responsibility to find Detective Starsky innocent of the charges against him and set him free to return to his job. The job that he does best protecting and serving the members of this community."

Lew paused again and stood there for several minutes in silent contemplation before returning to his seat so the prosecutor could present his summation of the case. Edwards strutted confidently to the front of the room and faced the jury.

"Bravo, Mr. Hamilton. I applaud your eloquent plea on behalf of your client. However, I am confident that the members of this jury were not swayed by Detective Starsky's professional career or the glowing character reports on his behalf. The defense would have you believe that Detective Starsky is a saint. But he isn't. He's a man just like the rest of us and he is human.

He is a man who was forced to sit back and watch as three of his fellow police officers were murdered in cold blood by a man seeking revenge and demanding his resignation from the police force. He is a man who was forced to watch as the woman he loved, the woman he wanted to marry, to make a life with, to have his children, was shot in the head and eventually died from that injury, killed by the same man who had already tried to destroy his life. Both times, Detective Starsky did his job. He arrested George Prudolm only to have him escape again and again and come after the people closest to Detective Starsky.

Put yourselves in his shoes for moment. What would you do under those same circumstances? Would you arrest him yet once again and then wait to see how long it took him to escape and come after someone else you loved? Maybe your mother, your brother, or your partner. Or would you decide to put an end to it once and for all?

You have the skill, you have the opportunity, you have the backing of the entire police force on your side, not to mention your professional reputation. Wouldn't you kill the man who had caused you so much pain, so much grief, if you thought you could get away with it?

Because that is what happened here. David Starsky took it upon himself to be judge, jury and executioner. He pushed George Prudolm off of that roof after he already had him in custody with his hands cuffed behind his back. He saw the opportunity to get rid of a man that he hated and he took it. Don't be fooled by all the good things you have heard about Mr. Starsky during this trial.

The state agrees that he has been a credit to the police force, that he and his partner have been responsible for solving some of the most high profile crimes in this city and they are to be commended for that. But, I don't want you to overlook for one minute that he is still a man and he is capable of the same kind of passion and violence that we are all capable of under the right set of circumstances.

Therefore, it is your duty and your responsibility to hold him accountable for his actions. You must overlook the fact that he is police officer, a highly decorated detective who is respected by his peers. He is a man who killed a defenseless man in cold blood without any remorse or regret. You must find him guilty of the charges against him and make sure that he pays for his actions and is not allowed to hide behind the badge or the oath that he took to protect and serve the citizens of this city. This case is now in your hands." With those parting words, Edwards turned and returned to his seat.

The judge gave the jury their final instructions and they were escorted from the room to begin their deliberations. Starsky and Hutch exchanged a glance. They both knew that it could be hours before the jury reached a decision. Starsky's fate was now in their hands and all they could do was wait for the verdict.


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14**

Hutch was shocked when the jury notified the judge that they had a verdict after only deliberating for three hours. His heart was pounding frantically as he slipped back into the courtroom and took a seat as close to the defense table as possible. He knew that the verdict could go either way and he was terrified that it would go against Starsky.

He knew that Lew would automatically appeal the decision if Starsky was found guilty but that would not prevent Starsky from being sent to prison in the meantime.

Starsky was escorted into the courtroom, his eyes automatically seeking out Hutch's gaze for support, as he took his place beside Lew. They all stood as the judge entered the room and then remained standing until the jury was seated. The judge ordered everyone else to sit down while Starsky and Lew remained standing.

Hutch saw the rigid set to Starsky's shoulders as he stood at attention before the bench. Hutch knew that Starsky was trying to maintain his composure as he waited for the verdict to be announced.

"Madam Foreman," the judge intoned solemnly as the woman who had been elected spokesperson for the jury stood up. "Has the jury reached a verdict?"

"Yes, your honor, we have." She said seriously, keeping her eyes focused on the judge's face.

"Would you pass the verdict to the bailiff, please?"

She handed the folded sheet of paper to the court bailiff who accepted it and walked across the room to hand it to the judge. The judge accepted the verdict and slowly unfolded the paper, reading it in silence. He looked up and gazed around the room. "There will be no outbursts or displays of any kind when the verdict is read." He said gravely. Locking eyes with Starsky, he glanced back at the paper and said, "David Michael Starsky, the jury has found you guilty of murder in the first degree."

"No…God, no…" Hutch muttered under his breath, as he grasped the railing in front of him so tightly that his fingers turned white from the pressure. He heard Starsky's audible gasp and saw him sag slightly as if his knees were going to give out until Lew reached out and grabbed his arm securely.

"Your honor, may I request that jury members be polled?" Lew asked grimly.

The judge nodded and asked each jury member individually what their verdict had been. One by one, they each said guilty. When they had finished, the judge looked at Starsky and said, "David Starsky, you have been found guilty of the crime of murder in the first degree. This court is prepared to pass sentence on you immediately. For the crime of murder in the first degree, you are hereby sentenced to death in the gas chamber. You are to be transported immediately to death row at San Quentin penitentiary and may God have mercy on your soul."

With a final bang of his gavel, the judge rose from the bench and left the room. The courtroom immediately burst into chaos as everyone started talking at once. Hutch immediately climbed over the railing separating him from Starsky in an effort to reach his side. The officer, who had stepped forward to take Starsky back into custody, paused and allowed Hutch to pull his partner into a heartfelt hug. Hutch felt the fine tremor that raced through his partner's slender frame at his touch and the desperate need as he reached out to cling to Hutch almost frantically.

"I'm sorry, sir," the uniformed officer said apologetically "But, he'll have to come with me now."

Hutch nodded, not trusting himself to speak, and stepped back. He looked deeply into Starsky's eyes and saw the terror lingering in those sapphire depths. He tried to communicate all of his love and support to his partner with his eyes as the officer cuffed Starsky's hands behind his back and prepared to lead him out of the room. Hutch knew that he would never forget the fear and desperation that he saw reflected on Starsky's face as he was led away.

"What now?" Hutch demanded in an outraged voice, turning to glare at Lew ominously. He clenched his hands tightly into fists to keep from punching something or someone. "What the fuck do we do now?"

"We always knew that this could happen." Lew said calmly. "And, frankly, I can't say that I'm surprised at the outcome. I file an appeal immediately. That will buy us some time."

"Time for what?" Hutch growled "To keep beating our heads against the wall and coming up with nothing while Starsky rots in a jail cell?"

Lew arched an eyebrow questioningly and said, "Are you giving up on David now?"

"OF COURSE NOT!" Hutch declared his voice rough with anger. "I'll never give up on him…not as long as I'm alive!"

"Good. That's what I wanted to hear because you're all he has right now. Let's go back to my office and talk."

Hutch turned and strode out of the room ahead of the older man. Although he knew that the verdict could go against Starsky, it was still devastating to hear his partner and best friend being sentenced to die in the gas chamber unless Hutch could find a way to save him.

Twenty minutes later, Lew and Hutch were settled in Lew's office reviewing the case notes they had so far. Although they had reviewed the notes throughout the trial, there had to be something they had missed.

"All right," Lew said thoughtfully "The biggest problem we have with David's case is the testimony of the three cops who swore under oath that they saw David push Prudolm off that roof. What do we know about them?"

Hutch glanced through his notes until he found the information he needed. In a somber tone, he read aloud,

"Ray Kilroy. First year patrol officer. Graduated with honors from the Academy last spring. Married with a baby on the way. No suspicious activity in his bank accounts. Nothing.

Eugene McDonald. Ten year veteran on the force. Widowed with a teenage daughter. Kilroy is his partner. They've worked together for the past six months. He owns his own home and has a modest savings with no unusual deposits or withdrawals." Hutch sighed as he continued on to the last name on his list. "Juan Oretga. He's also a ten year veteran on the force. He's divorced with two little girls who live with his ex-wife. Most of his income goes for child support and alimony. His wife got their house and car in the divorce. He works a second job, part time, as a security guard at a warehouse downtown. Nothing unusual about any of them except that they are all adamant that they saw Starsky push Prudolm off that roof."

"What about the hooker? The one who swore that she overheard you and Starsky discussing a plan to kill Prudolm before he killed anyone else?"

"Margaret Ashworth. Street name Cookie. Aka Patty Ashworth aka Dixie Darling aka Queen Margaret. She's been busted for everything from forging checks and credit card fraud to assault and possession of narcotics. No permanent address and her only means of support is prostitution. Divorced four times and has three children that are all in the custody of children's services. A real pillar of the community. She'd sell her soul for a fix but I can't find anything on her to prove that she helped set Starsky up. What about Edwards?"

Lew leaned back in his chair and snorted. "He's got higher aspirations than the Prosecutor's office. He wants to be governor someday. Comes from a political family with enough money to buy him the office if he plays his cards right. He plays rough and he doesn't care how he gets his convictions as long as he gets them."

"Even if it means buying off witnesses or jury members?" Hutch asked with a growl.

"Possible but highly doubtful. He's smarter than that. He wouldn't risk his political career but that doesn't mean that he wouldn't look the other way if the price was right."

"How do you know Huggy Bear?" Hutch asked watching Hamilton's face closely to gauge his reaction to the question and the abrupt change in subject.

Lew smiled broadly and tented his fingers. At first Hutch didn't think he was going to answer the question, then he said, "Does it matter?"

"Not really. Just curious that's all." Hutch admitted

"I knew his mother…a long time ago. She was a good woman who deserved better than she got in life. We were friends and I tried to help her out over the years…up until she died. I suppose you could say that Huggy considered me his surrogate father for awhile."

"Is that how you met Starsky? You did know him before this, didn't you?"

"You're very perceptive, Detective Hutchinson. No, I met David through a mutual friend. John Blaine."

"You knew John?" Hutch asked in a surprised tone.

"Yes, I knew John very well." Lew said, watching Hutch closely as he answered. "And just to satisfy your curiousity…yes, John and I were more than just friends."

"I'm sorry." Hutch said, blushing furiously at the confession. "It was none of my business."

"Don't worry. I'm not ashamed of who I am or my sexual preferences. And to answer the question I can see that you're dying to ask…no, David didn't know about John and me. To him, I was just one of the guys that John hung out with. After David came back from Viet Nam, I helped him out with a legal matter and we've met a few times since then for dinner. Are there any other questions I can answer for you before we continue?"

"No." Hutch said, shaking his head slightly. "I'm sorry for invading your privacy like that."

"There's no need to apologize. I told you…I'm not ashamed of who I am. I've been lucky my entire life, just like you have. Wealth has its privileges. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Sometimes. But I turned my back on my parents' wealth years ago." Hutch said "And I'm perfectly content with my life the way it is."

"Good for you. You're lucky because you have the one thing that money can't buy. You have David and he's worth more than all the money in the world." He held up his hand to stop the protest he saw on Hutch's lips. "I know that the two of you aren't a couple...I also know that once you are David's friend, you're his friend for life. What the two of you have is something very, very special. You should cherish it."

"I do." Hutch admitted "That's why I have to find a way to prove that he's innocent. That he didn't kill Prudolm."

"Well, if anyone can do that…I'm sure that you can. David trusts you and he needs you, just like you trust and need him." He paused as if pondering his next words carefully. In a somber tone, he said, "Ken, I am going to tell you something that may or may not help David. It's up to you to decide. David has made some powerful enemies over the years and not all of them are here in Bay City. There are some very powerful people out there who would go to any length to separate you and David because together you are a force to be reckoned with. And some of those people have carried a grudge against David for a very, very long time."

"I'm not sure I understand…"

"I'm afraid that I can't tell you anymore than that. Some secrets are not mine to tell. And some secrets, David would rather take to his grave before revealing them to anyone…even you…even if those secrets could save his life."

Lew refused to elaborate further. After a few more casual references to the case, the two men parted ways, promising to stay in touch as they worked together to free Starsky from prison.

Hutch thought about Lew's words as he drove home. He had a feeling that there was something going on with Starsky that he didn't know anything about something that Starsky didn't want him to know. After over ten years together as best friends, Hutch thought he knew everything there was to know about David Starsky. Apparently, he was wrong. The man still had some closely guarded secrets that he had never revealed to anyone, not even Hutch. He knew that he would not be allowed to see Starsky before his transfer to San Quentin. Despite Starsky's request for Hutch not to try and see him if he ended up on death row, Hutch was determined to visit his headstrong partner as soon as he could.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Please be aware that the conditions described in this chapter are extreme and are not meant to actually describe the conditions on death row. Artistic license has been used liberally in the remainder of this story. Some graphic scenes of violence will follow in the remaining chapters and appropriate warnings will be posted as needed. **

**CHAPTER 15**

Starsky was numb with shock when he was escorted back to his cell at County Lockup. His worst nightmare had come true and he was condemned to a living hell from which there was no end in sight. As long as there was a shred of hope to cling to, he had been able to hold it together, but now that hope was gone and so was the last bit of Starsky's self control. He slumped down on his bunk and stared at the wall without any expression on his face and a dead look in his eyes. His spirit was broken along with his heart.

He was thankful that his mother had died before seeing the disgrace that her eldest son had brought to his father's name. His younger brother, Nicky, was in jail back in New York, doing a ten year stretch for armed robbery. It looked like the apple hadn't fallen far from the tree after all.

Starsky ignored his supper tray and simply curled up on his bunk with his eyes closed. The guard had told him that he would be leaving for San Quentin first thing in the morning. Apparently the justice system couldn't wait to get rid of the bad cop in their midst. Some part of Starsky knew that he was falling into a deep depression but he didn't care anymore. Nothing mattered. Not anymore. His life as he knew it was over. It ended that day on the roof with George Prudolm.

He spent a sleepless night staring into the darkness of his cell. The next morning, the guards came for him shortly after breakfast. Starsky stood silently, unresisting, as he was shackled, his wrists and ankles chained to the thick belt around his waist for transport to San Quentin.

He was loaded onto an enclosed van with six other prisoners, including Emanuel Lewis, who were also being taken to death row at San Quentin. They were chained together on the hard wooden benches lining each side of the van. With the door closed and locked, it was hot and stuffy inside the van but Starsky barely noticed. Two guards sat in the back with the prisoners to keep the noise to a minimum and to prevent any attempts to escape or to harm each other during the six hour drive to the prison.

Starsky leaned his head back against the metal wall of the van and closed his eyes, retreating deep into the depths of his own mind. He was already building a wall around his emotions and feelings to protect what little sanity he had left. His humanity had been stripped away along with his pride and he had no reserves of energy left to fight back against whatever fate held in store for him. By the time the van arrived at the prison, Starsky's hands were numb from being cuffed behind his back and so was his ass from sitting on the hard bench. He stumbled as he was led off the van on legs that had gone to sleep along the way.

"Come on! Move it, boy!" one of the guards barked. He emphasized his words with a whack to the small of Starsky's back with his billy club dropping the brunet to his knees. The second guard growled as he reached down and grabbed Starsky's arm roughly, pulling him to his feet.

"You're holding up the line! Now get moving!" He hissed into a curl covered ear.

Starsky stumbled across the gravel to the entrance to the prison and entered the dark interior of San Quentin, the oldest operational prison in the state of California. The new inmates were herded into the reception area where they were unshackled and ordered to strip.

They were subjected to the indignity of a body cavity search by an overly enthusiastic guard with rough hands and bad breath. Still naked, they were then herded into a nearby shower where they had to wash with delousing soap and shampoo. Afterwards, they were given a faded gray prison uniform, one change of underwear, and a thin blanket. Still naked, they were escorted down a long hallway to the holding cells where new arrivals were housed for forty eight hours before being assigned to their permanent cell.

By the time the cell door clanged shut behind him Starsky was exhausted, both mentally and emotionally, and was shivering from the chill in the air. With trembling hands, he pulled on the rough material of the uniform and threw himself down on top of the thin mattress lying on the floor. He pulled the thin blanket up over his shoulders and closed his eyes to hold back the tears that flooded his eyes and blurred his vision.

Starsky had heard the rumors about the overcrowding and the inhuman conditions that prevailed at most of the prisons in the state, especially San Quentin. And now he was going to find out first hand just how inhuman those conditions really were. His depression deepened as he lay there and tried to sleep.

If he thought the noise in the County Lockup was bad at night, in this place it was even worse. Screams and yelling echoed throughout the hallways and cell blocks, along with the sound of fists hitting against flesh and the unmistakable sounds of sexual activity among some of the inmates. Starsky huddled beneath his thin blanket and tried not to think about the days that lay ahead. He knew that he would never survive for long. Not in this place. He was a marked man and death was the only way out of this living hell.

A bright light burned in the hallway directly outside of Starsky's cell all night, keeping him from getting any sleep. A guard came around at six-thirty the next morning with the food trays, sliding one under the slot in each door as he passed by. He didn't acknowledge any of the new arrivals as he made his rounds.

The food was even worse than it had been back in Bay City. It was undercooked and the portions were small with no real nutritional value. Breakfast consisted of a single slice of dry bread, a small cup of water, and a meager serving of runny, undercooked eggs. Starsky ignored the food even though his stomach cramped with hunger.

After breakfast, a guard collected the trays. Eyeing Starsky's uneaten food, he shook his head and said gruffly, "You better learn to eat what we give you, boy, or you're gonna get mighty hungry mighty quick."

Starsky ignored him and crouched in a corner of his cell with his knees drawn up against his chest. The guard returned at eight a.m. and began taking the new arrivals out of their cells, one at a time. Starsky was the last prisoner to be taken from his cell. He was led down the hallway to a tiny office where a heavyset woman with a pockmarked face and a deep voice introduced herself as the intake counselor for the prison. She motioned for Starsky to sit down while she took his blood pressure, pulse and temperature, making careful notes on a sheet of paper on her desk. When she had finished, she looked at Starsky as if he were dirt under her feet and said,

"Don't expect any special treatment in here just because you used to be a cop. In here you're just another prisoner on death row and you will be treated like one. Obey the rules and do as you're told and you'll get along just fine. Step out of line and you will suffer the consequences. Is that clear?"

Starsky nodded his head without speaking. The woman glared at him for a moment and then walked over to a nearby cabinet. She opened it and took out a bottle. Popping the lid, she dumped two pink tablets out into the palm of her hand and held them out to Starsky. "Take these." She ordered

"What are they?" Starsky demanded suspiciously. He knew that he needed to keep his wits about him and he couldn't do that if he was drugged.

The woman's only answer to his question was a hard slap across his face that rocked his head sharply to one side. Almost immediately the door to the office opened and two guards rushed into the room. One of them grabbed Starsky in a headlock while the second one forced open his mouth so the woman could put the pills on the back of his tongue. Starsky grimaced at the bitter aftertaste as the pills began to dissolve in his mouth. Deciding it was in his best interest to cooperate, he reluctantly swallowed the pills. The guard released his brutal hold on his head and stepped back, his hand resting on the butt of the gun nestled at his waist.

"You don't ask questions. You do as you're told." The woman hissed at him, annoyed with the disruption in her routine. "Take him back to his cell and hold his meals until tomorrow morning so he'll learn to cooperate the next time when he's told to do something."

By the time he was returned to the holding cell, whatever the pills he had been forced to take were starting to take effect. His eyes grew heavy and his muscles felt as they were made of lead as he slumped down on his mattress. His eyes drifted shut and he fell into an exhausted sleep. He awoke with a start sometime later. With no clocks in sight he had no idea what time it was or if it was day or night. His stomach growled in hunger and his mouth was dry, his throat parched with thirst. He noticed a small cup sitting in the corner of his cell and crawled over to it. He drank the lukewarm water that it contained but it wasn't enough to quench his thirst.

"How do you like Q so far, pig?" Emanuel's voice drifted to him from an adjoining cell. He laughed, a high shrill sound that sent a chill down Starsky's spine. "You better get used to it 'cause this is your life now…just like the rest of us. You ain't nothing here…you're just another dead man walking." He lowered his voice to a harsh whisper. "And I can't wait to get a piece of your ass. You're mine…sooner or later…you're mine."

Starsky shivered as he crawled back across his cell and curled up on his bed in a fetal position. _God, Hutch…I need you. I'm scared. I'm so scared…_He choked back a ragged sob as he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. It was the only escape he had left from this nightmare.


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16**

Hutch frowned as he sorted through his mail setting the bills aside to take care of later. It had been three weeks since Starsky had been sent to San Quentin and the two letters that Hutch had mailed to him had been returned unopened. He knew that Lew had been in contact with the prison and made sure that Hutch's name was on Starsky's list of approved visitors. His mouth tightened. He refused to let his stubborn partner shut him out like this. He made a mental note to tell Captain Dobey to take him off the roster for the following weekend so that he could make the trip to the prison and demand to see Starsky.

Hutch slumped down on the sofa and tried to ignore the headache that was starting just behind his eyes. Since Starsky's conviction for first degree murder, Hutch had spent most of his time trying to find a way to clear his partner's good name. He refused to go out on the streets with a new partner, so he was chained to a desk at work doing menial tasks such as filing, typing reports for the other detectives, and making phone calls to interview witnesses on his open cases as well as continuing to investigate Starsky's case.

Lew was working just as diligently on Starsky's appeal. He had called Hutch at work that morning and hinted that he may have a lead that could help Starsky but refused to go into any details until he checked some things out. He had promised to call Hutch the following afternoon with an update. When it came to his partner's well being, waiting had never been one of Hutch's strong points and the stress was starting to show. He was surly and ill tempered with everyone around him and his friends and co-workers were beginning to avoid him. He was also drinking too much, trying to drown his worries in the bottom of a bottle. Without Starsky by his side, he felt empty and at odds with himself.

The ringing of the telephone startled Hutch out of his thoughts. He grabbed the receiver and barked, "Yeah? What do you want?"

"Hey, m'brother…" Huggy drawled in his ear "Is that any way to answer your phone? What if I had been one of your lovely ladies?"

"Not much chance of that." Hutch snorted "What you want, Hug?"

Huggy lowered his voice and said, "I got somebody down here I think you should talk too."

"Yeah? Who?"

"One of the jury members from Starsky's trial. I think you're gonna want to hear what she has to say."

"I'll be there in fifteen." Hutch said, hanging up before waiting for Huggy's reply. He jumped to his feet and raced out the door, his heart pounding with excitement as he prayed that this was the break that he had been looking for. Climbing into the Torino which was parked in the driveway beside his battered LTD, he gunned the engine and tore out of the drive. He raced towards The Pits with the lights flashing and the siren blaring loudly. He smiled thinly as he thought about how Starsky would have been proud of his reckless driving through the busy downtown streets of Bay City.

Huggy glanced up from waiting on a customer as Hutch rushed into the bar. He motioned for Diana to take over for him so he could hurry to Hutch's side.

"Where is she?" Hutch demanded breathlessly.

"Calm down, Blondie." Huggy said calmly. "She's upstairs and she ain;t going anywhere. But, she's really nervous about talking to you. It's taken me the past three hours to convince her to tell you what she has to say and you don't want to scare her off now."

Hutch took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to calm his frazzled nerves. With a curt nod, he followed Huggy up the hidden steps behind the bar that led to the two apartments on the second floor of the building. Huggy tapped lightly on the door at the head of the stairs to announce their arrival and cautiously opened it. He stepped inside with Hutch following closely. A petite brunette with big blue eyes glanced up fearfully from where she was sitting on the edge of the bed. She was clenching and unclenching her hands nervously as she looked at Hutch's face anxiously. Hutch recognized her as one of the jury members but didn't recall her name.

"Hutch, this is Melissa Grant." Huggy said quietly. "Melissa, this is Detective Kenneth Hutchinson."

"Yes, I remember Mr. Hutchinson from the trial." Melissa said in a whispery voice. She lowered her eyes self consciously and began to pick at the edge of the bedspread absently.

Hutch instinctively fell into a calm, gentle demeanor as he cautiously approached the obviously frightened woman. "Miss Grant," he said quietly "Huggy Bear said that you had something you wanted to tell me about the trial."

"Yes," she whispered "But I'm scared. If they find out that I talked to you, I'm afraid that they'll hurt me or my family."

"Who? Who are you afraid of?" Hutch asked gently.

"I don't know who they are but I know that they wanted to see your partner found guilty and they were willing to do anything to make sure that happened."

"Did someone threaten you or your family if you didn't cast a guilty verdict against my partner?" Hutch asked with bated breath as he waited patiently for her answer.

"It was three of the other members of the jury." She explained. "They pressured the rest of us into voting guilty. They made it clear from the start that it would be in our best interest to do what they wanted."

"What were their names?" Hutch demanded, reaching out gently to the woman when she started at the harsh tone in his voice.

"How do I know I can trust you?" Melissa asked anxiously. "If they find out that I'm the one who talked to you, I'm afraid of what they might do…"

"Don't worry about that." Hutch reassured her "I'll make sure that you're somewhere safe until we can clear this whole thing up." He glanced at Huggy questioningly. "As a matter of fact, I'm sure that Huggy wouldn't mind if you stayed right here for a few days."

"I don't know…" Melissa hesitated "What about my mom and my little girl?"

"I'll make sure that they're taken somewhere safe too. Please… I need your help to save my partner's life…"

"All right…their names are Victor Freedman, Joshua Milner and Joanna Marshall."

"Thank you, Melissa." Hutch said with a grateful smile. "I can't thank you enough for your help. I'll make some phone calls and personally make sure that your mother and little girl are moved somewhere safe until I can clear this up. Okay?"

"Okay." Melissa said with a faltering smile. "I'm so sorry about what happened to your partner. I wish I could do more to help."

"Believe me, Melissa, you've done more than you realize and I for one will be forever in your debt." Hutch told her with his most charming smile. "Now, you just stay right here and don't open that door for anybody but me or Huggy Bear. Okay?"

"Okay." She agreed, blinking back the tears that sprang to her eyes. Although she was still obviously very frightened, Melissa was also relieved that she had finally come forward and confessed her part in finding Starsky guilty of a crime she honestly believed that he didn't commit.

Hutch and Huggy left the apartment and went back downstairs to the bar. They sat down in an empty booth at the back of the room and began talking in quiet voices so that nobody would overhear their conversation.

"What do you think, Blondie?" Huggy said "Is it enough to get Curly off the hook?"

"That depends…it could be if we can prove jury tampering." Hutch said somberly. "The first thing I need to do is find these three and interrogate them. We have to find out whose behind this and why. As soon as I can get Melissa's mother and little girl moved to a safe house, I'll have someone get in touch with you so we can move her there too. In the meantime, keep her under wraps and don't let anyone know that she's here."

"Don't worry. I'll watch out for her." Huggy promised with a grin. "You just concentrate on getting Curly back here where he belongs. You look kinda lopsided by yourself."

"Thanks, Huggy. I owe you big time for this one…we both do." Hutch said with the first genuine smile that he'd had in weeks. "I'm going to take a trip this weekend and see Starsky whether he wants to see me or not. There's something he's not telling that may help his case too and I intend to find out what it is."

"Yeah, Lou mentioned something about that to me too. I wish I could help you out there but I don't know what it's all about either. I know that Starsky had some kind of legal trouble when he came back from Viet Nam and that Lew helped him out but he never told me what it was all about."

"Lew told me that too." Hutch said thoughtfully "And he implied that something had happened in Starsky's past, before we met, that could have something to do with what's going on now."

"It'd have to be something pretty heavy." Huggy said somberly. "Especially if Starsky never told you about it. I thought that the two of you told each other everything."

"I did to." Hutch said in a wistful tone. "I guess I was wrong." He shoved himself to his feet. "I'd better go. I'll be in touch."

"Hey, Blondie…" Huggy called after him "Tell Curly I said to hang in there when you see him. We're all rooting for him."

Hutch waved his hand to acknowledge Huggy's comment as he headed out the door. For the first time since this whole nightmare began, he had a direction to follow and a solid lead to investigate.

He headed back to police headquarters and set things in motion to get Melissa's mother and little girl into a safe house. After that, he used the resources of the police department to find the current addresses for the three members of the jury whose names Melissa had provided. Although he was anxious to follow up on his lead, he knew that he would have to wait until morning to interrogate the three suspects for jury tampering. He returned home and got the first good night's sleep he'd had in weeks.


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17**

Hutch arrived at headquarters early the next morning and filled Captain Dobey in on his conversation the night before with Melissa Grant. The Captain immediately solicited two other teams, Baker and Thomas along with Stern and Riker, to join Hutch in bringing in the three suspects so they could be formally questioned at headquarters on the charge of jury tampering.

Hutch drove to 3356 West Westerberry Court where the suspect, Joanna Marshall, lived. Baker and Thomas were headed for the address for Joshua Milner, while Stern and Riker were picking the third suspect, Victor Freedman. Westerberry Court was an apartment complex in a middle class neighborhood. Hutch parked in the lot out front and walked down the sidewalk until he found apartment 132. He raised his hand to knock, calling out at the same time, "This is the police. Open up!"

Hutch was suspicious when the door clicked open when he knocked but didn't open completely. Drawing his gun, he called out again, "Police! Is anyone there?"

When nothing but silence answered him, Hutch cautiously stepped to one side of the doorway and reached over to push the door open. He held his breath, anticipating an unexpected attack. When none came, he carefully moved into the doorway and let his eyes sweep across the neat, cheaply decorated living room. An eerie silence filled the tiny apartment that made the hair on the back of Hutch's neck stand on end.

He automatically catalogued his surroundings as he moved towards the open doorway in the far corner of the room. He found himself in a large bedroom with an attached bathroom. Through the open bathroom door, he caught his breath when he saw a woman's body lying in a full tub of water. One arm hung over the side off the tub and the water in the tub appeared to be tainted with blood.

After determining that there was no immediate threat, Hutch holstered his gun and stepped closer to the tub. A deep gash across the woman's throat told Hutch all he needed to know. Although it was evident that the woman was dead, Hutch pressed his fingertips against the side of her neck to check for a pulse. The woman's skin was cold to his touch and there was no gentle thumb beneath his fingers. Hurrying from the room in search of the phone, Hutch called for the coroner and a crime lab team to meet him at the apartment.

He requested a patch through to Captain Dobey to tell him that one of the suspects was dead, apparently the victim of violence. The only question that remained to be answered was if it was a random act of violence or a deliberate murder to silence the woman before she could be questioned. Hutch was stunned when Dobey informed him that a second suspect, Victor Freedman had also been found murdered in his apartment and the third suspect, Joshua Milner, had been reported missing by his wife the day before.

Hutch muttered an obscenity as he hung up the phone. It was apparent that someone had decided to silence at least two of the suspects before they could talk to the police. He paced the floor as he waited for the other units to arrive careful to keep his hands stuffed in his pockets so he wouldn't contaminate the crime scene.

When the lab team and coroner arrived, Hutch quickly filled them in and left them to do their job, while he started interviewing the woman's neighbors to see what he could find out about the victim.

The door to the apartment next to the dead woman's apartment was answered by a little girl with pigtails who was missing her two front teeth. With a lopsided grin at the stranger standing at the door, she yelled, "Mommy! There's a man at the door!"

A tall, well built woman with an angular face and glasses hurried out of another room and looked at Hutch questioningly. She reached out to put a protective arm around her daughter's shoulders and drew her close. "Yes? May I help you?" the woman said suspiciously.

"I'm Detective Hutchinson with the BCPD." Hutch told her as he held out his badge and identification for her to examine. "I'd like to ask you some questions about your neighbor, Joanna Marshall."

"Joanna? What's she done now?" the woman asked with a frown.

"May I come in?"

"Yes, I'm sorry." The woman said apologetically. She turned her attention to the child at her side and said "Go play in your room while I talk to the nice man." The little girl nodded and scampered away to do as her mother instructed. The woman turned her attention back to Hutch and smiled a bit more warmly. "I'm Theresa Harrison." She introduced herself. "Won't you sit down, Detective?" Hutch nodded and took a seat on the edge of the sofa. "Would you like something to drink? Some coffee or a soda?"

"No, thank you." Hutch said as he pulled a notebook out of his pocket and wrote down the woman's name and address. "As I said I'd like to ask you some questions about your neighbor, Miss Marshall."

"Is she in some kind of trouble?"

"I'm sorry but it appears that Miss Marshall has been killed." Hutch told her quietly.

"Oh, my God! That's horrible!" Theresa said in a shocked voice as she sank into a chair facing Hutch. "What happened?"

"I'm afraid that I'm not at the liberty to say at the moment." Hutch told her. "Did you hear any unusual noises coming from Ms. Marshall's apartment last night or this morning?"

"I think she was fighting with someone around one clock this morning." She said "They were yelling and the noise woke me up. I was going to call her and complain but then it got quiet and I went back to sleep."

"Could you tell if she was fighting with a man or a woman?"

"Oh, it was definitely a man's voice."

"Did you happen to see him?'

"No, I'm afraid not. But, Joanna had a lot of male friends…if you know what I mean." Theresa said a bit primly.

"Are you saying that Ms. Marshall was a prostitute?" Hutch asked, scribbling notes as they talked.

"Well, she claimed to be a model but she had a lot of male friends that were always stopping by in the evening."

"Do you know if she had any family in the area?"

"No. She told me once that she'd been married and divorced but her ex lived back east. She moved out there to get away from him." Theresa chewed on her thumbnail thoughtfully. "I really didn't know her that well. She'd only lived here for a couple of months."

Hutch smiled and rose to his feet. Pulling one of his business cards out of his pocket, he handed it her and said, "If you think of anything else that you think might be helpful, feel free to call me at the number on the card."

"All right." Theresa said, tucking the card into the pocket of her smock. She escorted Hutch to the door and closed it behind him.

He spent the next two hours speaking to the other neighbors but none of them were able to provide him with any further information on Joanna Marshall, although an upstairs neighbor did recall seeing a strange car parked in the parking lot the night before around midnight and was able to give Hutch a description of the vehicle. It wasn't much to go on. A light green Chevy two door with out of state plates. Hutch made a mental note to see if Minnie had turned anything up on the background check she was running on the three suspects. Minnie was the departments computer specialist and could find out an amazing amount of information on people for the detectives on the squad. She had helped Starsky and Hutch solve more than one case with the information she uncovered for them.

When Hutch returned to headquarters, he met with Stern and Riker to go over their notes on the murder to the second suspect, Victor Freedman. Freedman had been shot three times, point blank, in the chest. He had been dead for approximately two days before his body was found. Since he lived in a secluded house without any close neighbors, nobody knew much about him. Like Joanna Marshall, he had only lived at his current address for a few months and had originally come from the east coast. Hutch wondered if there was a connection there.

Hutch's suspicions grew when Baker and Thomas returned to headquarters and told Hutch what they had found out about the missing suspect, Joshua Milner. He also originated from the east coast and had only been in Bay City for two years. His wife was unable to provide much background information on her husband since they had only been married for a few weeks. She told them that he was rather secretive about his past and that the only thing he had ever told her was that he had moved to California to escape from an abusive childhood and overbearing parents. She had never met any of his immediate family.

Hutch left the squad room and went down to talk to Minnie. He found her working away diligently at her computer terminal. She looked up and grinned at Hutch when he came into her office.

"Hey, Hutch. How are you doing?" Minnie's concern for the big blond was genuine. She secretly had a crush on Starsky and flirted with him outrageously. A bit on the plain side, Minnie made up for her looks with an outgoing and warm personality.

"I'm doing okay, Minnie." Hutch told her with a warm smile. "How's it going with those names I gave you?"

"Slow." Minnie told him with a frown. "They all relocated here within the last two years from the east coast but when I try to find out anything about them before they came here, I keep running into roadblocks. It's almost as if none of them existed until they moved here."

"Keep on it, would ya?" Hutch said the crease between his brows deepening as his suspicions grew. "It definitely looks like there's something going on here that could help Starsky's case and whatever it is it's beginning to look like the connection could be back east."


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18**

Hutch paced the floor anxiously as he waited for Starsky to be brought into the tiny visiting room. Dobey had pulled some strings and called in some favors that allowed Hutch to visit with Starsky in one of the room usually reserved for clients and their lawyers. There would be no glass barriers between them. He knew that Starsky had been adamant about not wanting to see Hutch, or anyone else, since his transfer to death row. All of Hutch's letters to his partner had been sent back unopened. But, Hutch could be just as stubborn as Starsky when he needed to be and he was certain that the vital clue he needed to get Starsky out of this place was buried somewhere in Starsky's past.

The opening of the door broke into Hutch's thoughts and he glanced up to watch as a guard escorted Starsky into the room. Hutch tried to hide his shock at his partner's appearance but was only marginally successful. Starsky had lost a lot of weight and his face looked drawn and tired. There were dark circles under his eyes and fading bruises on his face. His sapphire eyes, once so vibrant and alive, now looked dull and listless. Starsky slumped down in one of the two chairs sitting at the battered table in the middle of the room and silently lifted his left arm to allow the guard to cuff his wrist to the shackle fastened to the table.

Hutch waited until the guard left the room, taking up his post just outside the door, before walking over to the table and settling into the chair facing Starsky. The brunet sat with his head lowered, avoiding eye contact with Hutch.

"Hey, Buddy." Hutch said in a quiet, soothing voice. "It's good to see you again. I've missed you."

"What are you doing here, Hutch?" Starsky mumbled in a gravelly voice that sounded hoarse and rough. "I told you not to come here."

"I had to." Hutch said "I found out that three of the people on the jury convinced the others to vote guilty. Now two of them are dead and one of them is missing. And they all seemed to have one thing in common. They all relocated here from back east within the last two years."

"So what's that got to do with me?" Starsky asked in a disinterested voice. "They still found me guilty and I'm still here."

"Starsk, look at me, buddy." Hutch cajoled in a honey toned voice. When Starsky ignored his request, he added softly, "Please…"

With a heavy sigh, Starsky raised his head and looked into Hutch's eyes. The fear and pain that he saw reflected there tore at Hutch's sensitive heart. Instinctively, he reached out to offer comfort to his friend. Starsky flinched and automatically pulled back rejecting Hutch's touch.

"Don't touch me." Starsky hissed in a ragged voice. "I don't need your pity."

"Starsky, I still care about you. I'm going to get you out of here…one way or the other." Hutch insisted

"Don't bother. You're just wasting your time." Starsky said flatly "I'm done for. I've accepted that…maybe it's time that you did too."

"Never!" Hutch said firmly. "I'll never give up on you, buddy. You're just going to have to accept that." He sighed and exhaled slowly. "Starsk, Lew told me that some things happened in your past that might have something to do with what's going on now. Is there something you need to tell me?"

"Leave it be, Hutch." Starsky said softly "Just leave it be. You can't help me now. Nobody can. It's too late. They set a date. I go to the gas chamber in four months."

"I won't let that happen!" Hutch declared raising his voice. "I'll never let that happen!"

"I'm already a dead man, Hutch. Nothing you can do to change that."

Their conversation was cut short by the guard coming back into the room. "Sorry," he said in a bored voice "Time's up."

The man uncuffed Starsky's wrist and pulled him to his feet. As he took Starsky's arm to escort him from the room, Starsky looked at Hutch one last time and said, "Don't come back here again, Hutch. I don't want to see you." With those parting words, the guard led Starsky from the room.

Hutch struggled with his emotions, anger and frustration threatening to overwhelm him. He was still determined to help his bull headed partner whether Starsky wanted Hutch's help or not. Squaring his shoulders, Hutch left the prison and started the long drive back to Bay City. Along the way, he came up with a plan. When he arrived in the city, he drove directly to the airport and bought a ticket for the next available flight to New York City. If Starsky wouldn't give Hutch the answers he needed, maybe his mother would.

He called Captain Dobey from the airport to tell him about his plans and his impromptu trip. He had just enough time before his flight left to grab a something to eat in one of the overpriced snack bars.

After his flight was boarded, Hutch settled back in the seat and tried to relax. It felt strange to be traveling to New York without Starsky by his side. The two friends customarily took their vacations together and Hutch had visited Starsky's mother with him several times in the past. This would be the first time he had ever visited her alone. Rachel Starsky had adopted Hutch as her 'third' son and had always made him feel welcome in her home. He hoped that would be the case with this unplanned visit.

A recent illness had prevented Rachel from coming to Bay City for her son's trial and Starsky had refused to let Hutch call her with an update until after the verdict was in. Rachel had been distraught over the verdict, drawing comfort from Hutch's reassurances that he would do everything in his power to prove that Starsky had been framed and get his name cleared. Since Starsky's arrest and imprisonment, Hutch had taken over the responsibility of making Starsky's weekly phone call to Rachel, a ritual that the brunet had followed ever since moving to Bay City when he was thirteen.

Hutch slept during the cross country flight, awaking groggy and disoriented just before the plane landed. He ignored the flight attendant's flirtatious smile as he disembarked the plane and strode through the crowded terminal. Outside, he climbed into one of the yellow cabs parked in front of the building waiting for fares. The cab driver scowled when Hutch gave him Rachel Starsky's Brooklyn address. His attitude improved when Hutch offered him a huge tip.

The Starsky home was located in what had once been a middle class neighborhood. But, over the years, the neighborhood had deteriorated as gangs, hookers and other lowlifes had infiltrated the area. Several of the homes in the neighborhood had been abandoned, the windows broken out by vandals and then boarded up. The remaining homes had been converted into multi-family rentals. The Starsky house was one of the few remaining one family residences that was still owned by the original buyer. Starsky had pleaded with his mother for years to move out of the neighborhood to a safer location but Rachel had steadfastly refused. This had been her home for over forty years and this was where she intended to remain.

It was almost ten pm when the cab pulled up in front of the two story brick house with the attached garage. There was a soft light burning in the living room and the front porch light was on. Since Hutch hadn't called Rachel in advance about his visit, he assumed that Starsky's younger brother, Nicky, must be staying with his mother and that she had left the porch light on for him. Hutch sighed as he paid the driver and climbed out of the cab. He had never seen eye to eye with the younger Starsky brother and it was no secret that the feeling was mutual. Nicholas Starsky was a two bit punk in Hutch's book who had spent his whole life using other people, including his mother and his older brother. He had a police record for a long list of petty offenses including selling marijuana, receiving stolen property, petty theft, and assault.

Turning up his collar against the chill in the night air, Hutch walked up the sidewalk to the front stoop and knocked lightly on the door. It was opened almost immediately.

"What happened, Nick? Did you forget your keys again?" Rachel said, stuttering to a stop when she saw Hutch standing there instead of her youngest son. "Ken!" she exclaimed happily, throwing her arms around him and giving him a heartfelt hug. Smiling broadly, she grabbed at his hand and tugged him inside, closing the door behind him.

Rachel Starsky was still an attractive woman in her early sixties with twinkling blue eyes. Her dark hair was streaked with gray and styled simply, framing her face with soft curls. Her petite frame was still trim and fit despite her recent bout of illness. With her quick smile and outgoing personality, it was easy to see where her eldest son had inherited the individual traits that made him so well liked.

"What a wonderful surprise," Rachel said "Why didn't you call and let me know you were coming?"

"It was sort of a spur of the moment decision." Hutch told her with a warm smile. "I'm sorry to be arriving so late."

"Nonsense…you're welcome here anytime. You know that." Rachel led the way into the kitchen where she busied herself making a pot of coffee. She motioned for Hutch to have a seat at the kitchen table. "Help yourself to some of that coffee cake. I just made it this morning." She told him. Hutch smiled as he politely took a piece of the dessert sitting on a plate in the middle of the table. Rachel Starsky was an excellent cook who enjoyed preparing 'comfort foods' from scratch.

When the coffee was finished she poured two cups, sitting one in front of Hutch as she slid into the chair across from him. Taking a cautious sip, she looked at Hutch over the rim of her cup and said, "How is my Davy? Is he all right?"

"He's hanging in there." Hutch told her. He chose not to tell her about Starsky's bruises and other injuries that Hutch had noted during his brief visit to the prison. He suspected that he didn't need too. Rachel was a cop's widow and a cop's mother, she knew the obstacles facing a cop who ended up in jail.

"I write him but he never writes back." Rachel said wistfully. "I know he's ashamed and afraid. He doesn't want to burden me with his problems. But, he's still my son. He's still my Davy. I just want him to be safe and out of that place."

"Actually, that's why I'm here." Hutch said, pondering the best way to approach the reason for his visit. "I found out that three of the people on the jury intimidated the other members into finding him guilty."

"Is that enough to get David a new trial?" Rachel asked hopefully.

"It could be if I can prove jury tampering. The problem is….two of those three people are dead and the third one is missing."

"That's terrible. And you think this has something to do with David's case?"

"I'm sure it does. I just don't know what…yet. The only connection I've been able to find so far is that all three of these people relocated to Bay City from here in New York within the past two years."

"I see. So you think that has something to do with David because he's from here originally?"

"I don't know. You tell me. Did something happen while he was still living here that could have something to do with what's going on now?"

"Have you asked David that question?" Rachel said evasively.

"Yes, but he won't talk to me. He's giving up."

"So that's why you're here."

"I need your help….David needs your help. If you know anything…anything at all…that might help him, you need to tell me now." Hutch said in a pleading tone as he beseeched Rachel for her help.

Rachel hesitated, her hands trembling as she sat her coffee cup down on the table, some of the hot liquid spilling over the rim to puddle unnoticed on the tablecloth. She pushed back her chair and stood up, pacing the floor anxiously as she twisted her hands together nervously. Hutch remained seated, watching her closely as he waited for her to speak.

"It happened so many years ago…" Rachel said in a near whisper. "I've never spoken to anyone about it and neither has David. It was too dangerous to tell anyone what happened. But if it will save my son now, then I will tell you everything."


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER 19**

Hutch and Rachel went into the living room where she would be more comfortable. As she sat down on the sofa, she looked as if she had suddenly aged ten years in a matter of minutes. Hutch turned so that he was facing her and waited for her to begin. Although he was anxious to hear what she had to say, he didn't try to force her to talk before she was ready.

Finally, Rachel took a deep breath and began by saying,

"How much has David told you about why I sent him to California after his father was killed?"

"He just said that he was getting into a lot of trouble and that you sent him out there to keep him from turning into one of the neighborhood thugs." Hutch answered solemnly.

"That part is true but there's more to the story than that. Has David told you about Joe? Joe Durniak?"

"I know that he was a friend of the family and that Starsky and Nicky both called him Uncle Joe. I know that he helped pay for your husband's funeral." Hutch said with a worried frown. He had always suspected that there was more to the Starsky family's relationship to Joe Durniak, a known gangland boss, than Starsky had ever told him. And now that he was about to find out what that connection was he was no longer sure that he wanted to know.

"Yes, Joe was a friend of the family. He was Mike's best friend. He's the one who introduced me and Mike. But, Joe was more than just a friend…he was much more than that. He was my half-brother. We had the same mother but different fathers. When Joe's father and my mother were divorced, his father kept Joe and refused to let my mother see him. Then she married my father and I was born the following the year. I was twelve when I met Joe for the first time." Rachel sighed softly, lost in her own memories of the past. "He was sixteen when he tracked down mom and started coming around to see us. When I was fifteen, he started bringing Mike with him when he came to visit. Mike proposed on my eighteenth birthday and I was nineteen when Davy was born."

"So Joe really was Starsky's uncle."

"Yes." Rachel said with a fond smile. "But, nobody outside of the family knew that. My mother never told anyone that she had been married to Joe's father or that Joe was her son, so everybody assumed that Joe was just a childhood friend of Michael." Rachel's eyes clouded with sadness as she continued with her tale. "Even when Joe followed his father's path in life and joined the Mafiosi and Mike became a cop, nobody thought anything about it when they continued to be friends." She brushed away a tear that slipped down her cheek. "When Joe found out that a rival gang had taken out a contract on Mike because he was getting too close to some of their operations, Joe warned Micheal to be careful and he even tried to buy out the contract…but Mike was still gunned down in front of David. He died in David's arms…right out in front of this house."

Rachel paused, her eyes flooding with tears at the memory. Hutch reached out and put a comforting hand on her arm. She smiled faintly and recomposed herself before continuing.

"The police never found the men who shot Michael…but Joe did. He made sure that they paid for what they did…even if it meant starting a gang war. David was the one who told Joe who they were. He saw them and he knew them. So…in retaliation…they took out a contract on David." Rachel took a deep, shuddering breath. "I never found out how Joe did it but somehow he convinced them to leave David alone. That's when I decided to send David to California to live with my sister, Rosie, and her husband where he would be safe." Hutch waited patiently, sure that there was more to the story.

"Everything was fine for a few years. Then when David came home from Viet Nam, he decided to come back here for a few months. He was seriously considering moving back here. He'd already decided that he wanted to go to the police academy and he wanted to do it here, to follow in his father's footsteps."

"What happened?" Hutch asked quietly "What made him change his mind?"

"He was out one night when two brothers, the Salvado brothers, Niko and Antonio, attacked David. Their father was one of the men who killed Michael. There was a fight and Niko was killed. It was an accident but the police still tried to charge David with manslaughter. Joe was the one who found David a good lawyer who helped to get him off on self defense.

After the charges were dropped, David went back to California and went to the academy there. We both knew there was no way he could stay here, not after what happened with Niko and Antonio. It stirred up too many old resentments, so Joe stepped in again and acted as peace maker. The Salvados promised to let bygones be bygones and to let us all live in peace. And they did…until Joe was murdered."

"Then what happened?" Hutch asked

"I came home one afternoon to find a package on the front stoop. When I opened it, I found a picture of David and a single black rose." She looked at Hutch, smiling faintly at his puzzled expression. "It was a warning you see. A way of letting me and David know that the Salvados hadn't forgotten or forgiven. With Joe dead, David no longer had his protection."

I called David right away…I was hysterical…but he just brushed it off and told me not to worry about it. That he refused to spend his life hiding and running from shadows. That was three months before they arrested him for murder."

"So you believe that the Salvados are behind all of this? That this is their way of getting back at Starsky for what happened when he was a kid?"

"Nick says they are and he should know." Rachel said "He's been dating Maria Salvado for almost two years."

"I'm surprised that the Salvado family would let one of their own date Nicky considering the bad blood that's there." Hutch remarked

"Nicky likes to talk…to brag about his big brother the cop…" Rachel said with a rueful smile. "I think that's how the Salvado family got the information they needed to set David up. They have the money and the resources to do something like this. They have federal judges and other high ranking officials on their payroll."

"And the three people who intimidated the other jury members into voting guilty all relocated to Bay City within the past two years." Hutch said grimly. "If I can find a link between any of them and the Salvado family that might be enough to get Starsky a new trial."

"You could talk to Joe's son." Rachel suggested "He took over after Joe was murdered and he knows the whole story about us and the Salvados. He also knows that Joe was my brother…so that makes him family. He'll help you anyway he can."

"Can you set it up so I can talk to him while I'm here?"

"I can call him in the morning." Rachel promised "I'm sure that he will see you right away." She brushed away a few more tears and smiled at Hutch fondly. "I'm sure you must be tired after your flight. You can sleep in Davy's room tonight. I doubt if Nicky will be home tonight after all."

"Thank you…" Hutch said gratefully, giving Rachel a gentle kiss on the forehead. "For trusting me enough to tell me the truth…"

"It was time. We've all been hiding in the shadows for too long. Maybe now…we'll all be free."


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER 20**

**A/N: This chapter contains a gang rape scene. Do not read if this topic offends you.**

Starsky grunted in pain as the baton hit him in the small of his back, dropping him to his knees. The guards in this place were just as violent as the criminals they were hired to oversee. As a convict on death row, Starsky spent twenty-three hours a day locked in his cell. One hour he spent in the exercise yard, a tiny barren area surrounded by concrete walls with rows of razor wire at the top. The only thing a prisoner could do in the small enclosed space was pace the perimeter or lean against the wall.

It was during that time that the guards used to torment Starsky. Some of them kicked him or beat him with their batons, while others laughed as they turned a high power water hose on him, drenching him with freezing water. The guards hated him because he was a cop just as much as the other prisoners did.

As the guard continued to beat him with his baton, Starsky curled up in a fetal position to try and protect the more vulnerable parts of his anatomy. He knew that any attempt to fight back would only bring him more pain so he lay there submissively until the guard grew tired of beating him and left him lying there under the glare of the noonday sun.

With a whimper, Starsky crawled over to the far corner of the enclosure and crouched there with his knees drawn up against his chest. His body ached from his latest beating. From painful experience, he knew that he would receive only minimal care for his injuries. He would be returned to his cell to suffer in silence until the injuries healed. He worried that eventually one of the guards would go too far and he would suffer irreversible damage. Some of the guards were more violent than the others but they all seemed to know just how far they could go without causing permanent damage.

The heat of the sun beat down on him, turning the skin on his forearms, neck and face red and leaving a painful burn. Starsky barely noticed. The pain of the sunburn was minimal compared to his other aches and pains. He sat there, huddled in his corner, until the guard returned to take him back to his cell.

"Come on, you piece of shit." The guard muttered under his breath as he grabbed Starsky's right arm and pulled him to his feet. "Time to get a shower and go back to your cell."

Starsky stumbled into the dim interior of the prison and down a long hallway that led to the shower room. The shower room was located in a remote area of the prison. It was a large, stark room with several shower heads built into the far wall. The water was never hot, it was lukewarm at best and sometimes freezing cold. The soap the prisoners had to use irritated Starsky's skin, stinging and burning any open cuts or wounds. He was only allowed one shower a week and he never felt entirely clean afterwards. His skin and his hair were both dry from the harsh soap he was forced to use.

The guard unlocked the door to the shower room and moved to one side as Starsky stepped through the doorway. With a thin smile, the guard put his hand between Starsky's shoulder blades and gave him a hard shove. Starsky stumbled forward and almost fell but managed to keep his balance.

"Strip." The guard ordered as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

Starsky slowly did as he was ordered, letting his dirty clothes fall to the floor at his feet. Vivid bruises in varying shades stood out on his back and stomach, his ribs clearly visible along his torso. His hipbones were just as prominent, mute evidence of his weight loss over the past few months.

Starsky turned on the faucets and leaned his palms against the cinder brick wall. He lowered his eyes and stared at the drain in the floor as the water fell over his head and shoulders. He was vaguely aware of the sound of the shower room door opening and closing. He raised his head in alarm sensing that he was no longer alone in the room. His heart began to pound in his chest as he heard the sound of footsteps coming up behind him.

Suddenly, he found himself surrounded by six of the biggest and meanest cons in the prison. Two of them Starsky was directly responsible for sending to this place. Before he could force his aching body to react, two of the men grabbed his arms and pinned him to the wall. He struggled in vain but he was no match for the other men. He was outweighed and out numbered.

He felt one of the other men pressing up against his back. A hand grabbed a fistful of curls and jerked his head back with a painful snap of his neck. A cold, deadly voice hissed in his ear, "You're not such a bad ass now are you, pig? You're just like the rest of us. Just another con."

"Fuck you!" Starsky ground out through tightly clenched teeth. He knew that he was in a dangerous and vulnerable position but he refused to go down without a fight, even if it was only with his mouth.

"No, baby…fuck you." The man hissed in his ear, followed by a chilling laugh. He thrust his hips against Starsky backside and the burnet felt the hardness of the other man's erection. Starsky began to struggle again even though he knew that getting raped was inevitable. He was lucky that he hadn't been subjected to that indignity yet but he had always known that it was only a matter of time.

The man behind him slammed Starsky's forehead against the wall, stunning him momentarily. Hard hands grabbed his hips, holding him in place and spreading apart his ass cheeks. A strangled scream ripped from Starsky's throat as the man penetrated him with one hard, thrust. The pain was horrendous. Starsky felt as if he was being ripped apart from the inside. Without giving him time to adjust to the pain, the man began to thrust as hard as he could, ripping and tearing the tender skin and muscles of Starsky's anus. Starsky's screams echoed off the barren walls of the room as the brutal attack continued relentlessly.

When the first inmate finished his brutal attack, a second man took his place. Starsky was unconscious when he was raped by the rest of the men. When they had finished, they walked out of the room, their laughter echoing in the hallway as the guard escorted them back to their cells. Once they were secured, the guard returned to the shower room and called for assistance to take Starsky's battered and broken body to the prison infirmary. It took over thirty stitches to repair the damage to Starsky's anus and rectum, along with ten stitches to close the gash in his forehead. He was heavily sedated and kept overnight in the infirmary. He was returned to his cell, still unconscious, the following morning.

It was late in the afternoon when Starsky finally opened his eyes. He awoke with a start, a strangled scream dying on his lips. With a moan deep in his chest, he slowly took stock of his newest injuries. The deep, burning pain in the center of his body was a constant reminder of what had happened to him. His head pounded like someone was inside his skull trying to beat their way out with a sledgehammer. The rest of his body ached with strained muscles and new bruises. He closed his eyes as a flush of shame and humiliation swept over him. His spirit had finally been broken beyond repair. Nobody could save him now. Not even Hutch. He was no longer a man, he was nothing but an empty shell waiting for death to free him from this place.


	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER 21**

Robert Durniak leaned back in his expensive leather chair and peered at Hutch with a thin smile. Slightly older than Hutch, he resembled his late father with the same piercing blue eyes and rugged features. Even his voice sounded the same, rough and coarse from too much booze and too many cigarettes over the years.

"So, Detective Hutchinson, to what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

"I need your help." Hutch said as he took a seat in the chair facing the mahogany desk.

"My help? Why would a highly decorated police officer from California need my help?"

"Don't jerk me around." Hutch said impatiently "We both know why I'm here."

"You're here, Detective, because Rachel Starsky called me and asked me to see you. I assume that it's about David."

" I need your help to prove that he was framed for murder."

"My help?" Robert said with a smirk. "That's a switch. And just how do you think I can help you?"

"I think the Salvado family set my partner up. I need you to help me get the evidence I need to prove it."

"The Salvados are a very powerful family with a lot of connections but I'm sure that you're aware of that already. Obviously Rachel has filled you in on the 'family history' or she wouldn't have sent you to see me."

"Will you help me or not?" Hutch asked in a carefully controlled voice. He was prepared to beg if that was what it took to save Starsky. "Starsky doesn't have much time left."

"I'm well aware of David's current circumstances." Robert said in a level voice. "And I do owe you both for what you tried to do for my father." He smiled but it never quite reached his eyes. "And, after all, David is family so to speak." He leaned forward and looked at Hutch intently. "All right, I'll help you. I have heard rumors that Salvados had found a way to take their revenge on David for Niko's death. Personally, I think Niko was an ass who got what he deserved but that is beside the point. As long as my father was alive, they knew that they couldn't touch David without starting a war. Tell me, Detective Hutchinson, haven't you ever wondered who sent that poor man after my father?"

Hutch looked stunned. Joe Durniak had been killed while under Starsky and Hutch's protection. He was scheduled to testify before a senate sub-committee concerning organized crime. He had been planning to name names and bring down some powerful gangland figures on both the east and the west coast. In an elaborated planned plot, he had been assassinated by a man who had been brainwashed into thinking that Durniak was responsible for his wife's murder. While investigating Joe's murder, Starsky and Hutch had discovered that the man who killed Joe wasn't the only person that had had their entire identity erased and false memories implanted in their place, turning them into mindless robots waiting to kill. They had never been able to find out who was behind the organization and now it appeared that Robert Durniak was saying that the Salvado family had been involved in some way. As if he had read Hutch's mind, Robert smiled thinly and said,

"No, they weren't part of the organization but they had the money to hire a hit man who had been brainwashed to kill my father. All it took was knowing the right person to call to make the arrangements." His expression softened as he continued. "My father was a good man. He just got old and tired. That made him vulnerable. All the Salvado family had to do was wait."

"So, what you're telling me is that you believe they framed Starsky?" Hutch asked solemnly.

"As I said, I've heard rumors. Give me a couple of days and I will see what I can find out for you. I assume that I can reach you at Rachel's?"

"Yes. For a couple of days anyway. Then I have to go back." Hutch said. He rose gracefully to his feet and held out his hand. After a brief hesitation, Robert took it and shook it firmly. Hutch left the office without looking back.

Outside the sky was dark and overcast, fitting weather for Hutch's mood. But, for the first time since this whole nightmare began, he finally had some hope. Before returning to the Starsky home, Hutch decided to make a slight detour. Climbing into the car he had rented that morning, he drove through the congested city streets until he reached the tiny cemetery in a quiet, predominantly Jewish neighborhood. Climbing out of the car, he walked to a grave that he had visited along with his partner on their last vacation in New York together.

The headstone read _"Michael David Starsky. Born June 14__th__, 1925. Died October 11__th__, 1955. Beloved Husband and Family. Taken too soon but never forgotten."_

Bowing his head, Hutch said a silent prayer for the man that Starsky had idolized and tried to pattern his life on. His murder had forever changed Starsky's life in more ways than Hutch had realized until now. Following the Jewish custom that Starsky had shown him, he bent down and picked up one of the smooth stones that bordered the headstone and gently placed it on top of the stone to show that he had visited the grave to pay his respects. Walking back to his rented car, Hutch slowly drove back to the Starsky home.

It started to rain just as he pulled up in front of the house. Opening the door, he pulled the collar of his leather jacket up around his neck as he darted for the house. He didn't notice the sleek black car parked just down the block with three men sitting inside as he hurried into the comforting warm of the house.

Nick Starsky was sitting in the living room, his feet propped up on the coffee table, as he watched television. He glanced up at Hutch's hurried entrance and scowled darkly. He quickly controlled his features and pasted a phony smile on his face. He had not been pleased when he came home that morning and found out about Hutch's unannounced visit. He was even less pleased to find out that the big blond would be staying for a few days. He had been even more irate when he found out that his mother had told him the 'family secrets' and arranged for him to meet with Robert Durniak that morning.

"Did 'Uncle Bobby' agree to help you?" he asked with a sneer. "Or did he tell you to go back to California where you belong? I would have."

"Good thing he's not you, isn't it?" Hutch said with a mocking smile. He was too tired to play Nicky's little game but he couldn't resist baiting him just a little.

"You're wasting your time and his." Nicky said smugly. "Dave's done for. He's accepted that. Why can't you?"

"NICHOLAS MARVIN STARSKY!" Rachel Starsky said, surprising her youngest son with her sudden appearance in the room. "You will not talk that way about your brother in this house! Ken is here to do everything he can to help Davy and I, for one, thank God for that!"

"Yeah, I forgot. Saint David who can do no wrong!" Nicky snarled in a sudden display of temper as he bounced to his feet. "He can even get away with murder and everybody looks the other way." He grabbed his jacket and bolted out of the house, slamming the door behind him. Rachel burst into tears and covered her face with her hands. Hutch immediately rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her shaking frame.

"It's all right." He soothed her gently "I'm sure he didn't mean it. He's just not happy that I'm here."

"No, he meant it." Rachel sobbed against Hutch's comforting shoulder. "He's so full of anger lately…I don't know what's wrong with him. I can't seem to talk to him anymore. Whenever I try, he just storms out like that."

"Why don't you sit down and I'll get you a cup of tea?" Hutch suggested.

Rachel nodded and sat down on the sofa. Smiling through her tears, she said, "You're a good friend to my Davy and I'm glad that he has you. Lord knows, he needed someone after his father died. I don't think he ever really forgave me for sending him away."

"He forgave you." Hutch reassured her. "He knows why you sent him away and he knows that it was the hardest thing you ever had to do. It may have taken him a little while to understand that…but he does understand."

"I just wish…" Rachel's words faded into silence as she grabbed a tissue and blotted at her tears. She shook her head sadly. "Never mind…please forgive me rambling on. I'm just so upset about the way Nicholas had been acting."

"There's no need to apologize." Hutch told her with a warm smile. "Let me get you that tea."


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER 22**

Starsky sat on the edge of his bunk staring at the floor of his cell. Since the brutal gang rape in the shower, he had withdrawn into himself, growing quiet and subdued. The guard who had helped the other convicts set up the attack had taken a perverse interest in Starsky. He had switched shifts so that he worked nights which allowed him free access to the cell block without any interference. To further torment Starsky, he would often release one of the other men from their cell and put them in with Starsky for a few hours. The next day, the other guards would overlook his bruises and cuts. Nobody seemed to care what happened to him, not anymore. His body was no longer his own, it was just something to be abused and violated at the whim of the guards and the other prisoners.

During the long hours he spent alone in his cell, he often found himself thinking of ways to put an end to this nightmare. But, his religious upbringing and his own will to live prevented him from trying to take his own life. He felt as if everyone, including God, had forsaken him. The guards and the other inmates taunted him, reminding him that time was running out. Soon he would be sitting in the gas chamber for a crime he didn't commit. The law that he had spent his entire adult life upholding had turned on him and now he would pay the harshest penalty of all. Lost in his own morbid thoughts, he barely noticed the guard who paused in front of his cell until he spoke.

"Let's go. You got a visitor."

Starsky looked up in surprise. Slowly, he rose to his feet favoring his left leg. He stood in front of the cell door as the guard unlocked it and slid it open. Mutely, he held out his wrists to be cuffed before he was led from the cell. Fortunately the guard in charge of the cellblock today was one of the younger ones who still had some humanity left. Bowing his head, Starsky walked down the narrow corridor past the other cells. He ignored the whispers, catcalls, and insults that were flung his way by the other prisoners. Even when one of them spit in his face through the bars of his cell, Starsky ignored him and kept walking.

"Knock it off!" the guard snapped at the prisoner, who simply grinned and stepped back from the bars as they passed.

They continued walking down the hall to the visiting room. The guard opened the door and escorted Starsky inside. Lew was sitting at the table waiting for him. After the guard had left them alone, Starsky looked at Lew listlessly but remained silent.

Lew immediately noted the fading bruises on his client's face and made a note to file a formal complaint with the warden about Starsky's treatment. He knew that it was a useless gesture. Prison was a violent place and the men on death row had nothing to lose. Starsky's injuries would be explained away in a logical manner. The truth would never be told and the guilty parties would never be punished or even reprimanded. He was disturbed by the flat look in Starsky's eyes. The man had given up, his spirit broken. His essence was slowly being worn away, leaving nothing but an empty shell behind.

"The court denied your appeal." Lew said, getting straight to the point. "I filed the paperwork to appeal to the governor."

"Why bother?" Starsky said in a barely audible voice. "You and I both know it won't do any good."

"You may have given up, David, but I haven't and neither has Hutch."

"I'm already a dead man…it's just a matter of time." Starsky's voice was calm with no sign of any emotion, nothing but a casual acceptance of his fate.

"David, I can file a petition to try and get you moved somewhere safer. But, you have to help me…you have to tell me what's going on."

"No…I'm where I belong." Starsky sighed heavily, wincing as he hit his left leg on the edge of the table. "You earned your money…you did all you could. Why keep fighting a battle you know you can't win?"

Lew knew he had to do something to snap Starsky out of his current mindset. And he knew just how to do it. Looking at him somberly, he said,

"Hutch is in New York. He went to see your mother."

"My mother? Why?" Starsky asked, looking shocked and surprised at the news.

"To see if she could tell him anything that might help you."

"He had no right to do that." Starsky said, a spark of anger creeping into his eyes. It was the first sign of life he had shown since the guard brought him into the room. "Ma doesn't know anything."

"Doesn't she?" Lew probed "She could tell him the real reason she sent you to California in the first place."

"Ma wouldn't do that!" Starsky said. Although his voice remained calm, Lew noticed that his hands were trembling. "Besides it has nothing to do with me being in here."

"How can you be so sure about that?" Lew demanded. He lowered his voice even though there was nobody else in the room to overhear their conversation. "The Salvado family hasn't forgotten about you and with Joe gone…you might as well have a target painted on your back."

"Even if they are behind this…they know how to cover their tracks…you'll never be able to prove anything."

"Maybe I can't…but Hutch will die trying."

"You have to get him back here!" Starsky said his voice strained and uneasy. "It's too dangerous for him to be in New York snooping around." He leaned forward, his eyes pleading with Lew, his instinctive need to protect his partner forcing him out of the shell he had built around himself and his emotions. "The Salvado family will kill him if he starts asking too many questions! You have to get Hutch to come back here!"

"I'll see what I can do." Lew promised, satisfied that Starsky's concern for his partner's safety would force him to hold on a little while longer. He just hoped that was a promise he could keep. He had no doubt that if Hutch had uncovered any leads, he would not leave New York until he followed up on them. And if anything happened to Hutch while he was in New York then Starsky would lose the only reason he had to go on living. They both looked up as the guard entered the room and signaled that their time was up. As Lew stood up, he looked at Starsky and said, "I'll be back in a few days. We can talk more then."

Starsky nodded in silence as the guard took his arm and led him out of the room. As he was escorted back to his cell, Starsky stood a little straighter and held his head up instead of keeping his eyes on the ground. His survival instincts and his bond with Hutch had pulled him out of the depression he had fallen into. This place might have broken his spirit for a time but he had decided to fight back with all he had. This place would not destroy him. The next con that started something with him was in for a surprise. He would not longer passively submit to the abuse and humiliation. He wouldn't go down easy, not this time.

As the cell door slammed shut behind him, Starsky turned and stared out through the bars. The spark that had dimmed in his eyes returned with a vengeance. In the back of his mind, he knew that his mother would tell Hutch the secrets he had hidden from his partner for so long especially if she thought it would help get him out of this place. And he knew that Lew was right. Hutch wouldn't give up trying to clear his name. He would die trying to prove that Starsky was framed. His bond with Hutch was the driving force that had kept him alive so far and it would continue to be the driving force that would make him fight back and no longer take the abuse he had been subjected to for the past few months.


	23. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER 23**

When Hutch woke the next morning, he was surprised to find Rachel gone and Nicky sitting at the kitchen table eating a doughnut and drinking a cup of coffee. Ignoring the younger man, Hutch walked over to the counter and poured himself some coffee. It was not his place to question the dynamics between Rachel Starsky and her youngest son. The scene the previous evening between Nicky and his mother only reinforced Hutch's contempt for Nick Starsky. He would be glad to return to Bay City and leave New York behind. He had already decided that he would stay until the end of the week and then he would head home unless Durniak found some strong evidence against the Salvado family that would help clear Starsky's name. Hutch knew that what he had so far was all circumstantial at best and a good defense attorney could easily get it thrown out of court.

"Ma went to Aunt Sophia's." Nicky said with a grunt. "She'll be gone all day."

He looked at Hutch with narrowed eyes. "So what do you have planned for today? More snooping around trying to clear Davey's name?"

"Why should you care? You made it clear last night that you don't give a damn about your brother." Hutch said in an irritated tone. Nick's glib attitude was starting to grate on his nerves and the last thing he wanted to do was argue with him so early in the morning.

"Hey, you're the one that's running around trying to prove that he didn't kill that guy. The way I figure it a jury heard all the evidence and found him guilty. It's not like he didn't have more than enough reason to blow the fucker away. He got away with murder before…this time he got caught."

""I'm sure he'd really appreciate your concern and your compassion." Hutch said without bothering to keep the sarcasm or contempt out of his voice. He finished his coffee and rinsed the cup, placing it in the sink. Turning, he left the house without a backward glance.

He found himself wondering just how two men with the same set of parents could have turned out so differently. He knew that a lot of it had to do with the fact that Starsky had been sent to live on the west coast while Nicky stayed behind without much guidance. He had grown up with men like Joe Durniak as his role model instead of a strong father figure. Devastated by her husband's murder and being forced to send her oldest son over three thousand miles away, Rachel had overlooked Nicky's flaws. As a result, Nicky had grown up selfish and self centered. He was jealous of Hutch because Hutch shared the type of relationship with Starsky that the two brothers might have shared if things had turned out differently. Nicky's appraisal of Starsky's fate showed just how estranged the two brothers had become over the years.

Standing on the sidewalk in front of the house, Hutch did a few warm up stretches to loosen up his muscles before setting off down the street in an easy jog. Jogging helped Hutch to clear his mind and plan his next move. He was familiar with the neighborhood from his previous visits to New York with his partner. He knew which streets to avoid and exactly how long it would take him to finish his early morning run. Hutch ran at a steady, relaxed pace. Unlike Starsky who always seemed to stay trim and fit despite his outrageous diet, Hutch had to fight to keep the excess weight off. He watched his diet carefully and exercised regularly while the only exercise Starsky seemed to get on a regular basis was between the sheets or chasing down the bad guys. Thinking about Starsky made Hutch sad and even more determined to clear his name. Hutch ran for four blocks and then turned back towards the Starsky home.

Fifteen minutes later, he slowed to a walk as he approached the small two-story frame house. A light sheen of sweat covered his face from his workout and his breathing was only slightly elevated. He climbed the steps to the front stoop and opened the door. As he stepped into the house, Nicky looked up from where he had been sitting on the sofa with a thin smile. He stood up and took a step towards the big blond.

"It's about time you got back. We've been waiting on you." He said with a sneer.

"We?" Hutch said with a puzzled frown. He saw a movement from the corner of his eye and started to turn to his left. A heavy blow to the temple dropped him to his knees. Before he could shake it off, a second blow to the base of his skull rendered him unconscious. He fell to the carpeted floor with a heavy thud.

Nicky smiled at the two burly men who had surprised Hutch as he came in the door. "Let's get him out of here. And don't damage the merchandise. Mr. Salvado has some questions for our friend."

One of the men bent and, with little effort, lifted Hutch in a fireman's carry. Nick followed them out to a shiny black sedan that was parked across the street. The two men threw Hutch in the back seat and then all three of them climbed into the car. As the driver pulled out of the driveway and into the street, Nicky grabbed a piece of thin nylon cord that was lying on the floor of the car and quickly tied Hutch's wrists and ankles securely. The big blond was out for the count and he should remain that way until they got him to the warehouse. Nick was pleased with the turn of events. He was getting paid a lot of money to deliver Hutch to the Salvado family and this would ensure his position in the hierarchy.

The two goons that Salvado had sent to the house to overpower Hutch for easy transport to the warehouse were silent during the drive through the congested downtown streets. Nick leaned back in his seat and watched the activity on the streets around him. This was his world and he had worked hard to carve out his own little niche. He was a product of these streets and proud of it. The Salvado family had taken an interest in Nick when he was twelve years old and they had taught him everything he needed to know to survive on the mean streets of New York. Despite the bad blood between his family and the Salvado family, they had accepted Nicky unconditionally and he had returned their faith in him with his undying loyalty.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Starsky jerked awake with a start, staring into the darkness of his cell. He lay there, breathing quietly, as he tried to decide what had awakened him. His tense muscles slowly relaxed as he sensed that he was still alone. Pieces of a scattered dream filtered through his mind. Images of Hutch in pain and crying out his name. _Was Hutch in trouble? Was he in some kind of danger? Was he hurt?_ The unanswered questions raced through his mind overwhelming him with anxiety.

Was the intricate bond that he shared with the big blond warning him that Hutch needed him? Was Hutch in trouble and calling out for his partner? Starsky growled under his breath and rolled over, pounding his pillow with his fist in frustration. He'd had an uneasy feeling ever since Lew told him that Hutch had gone to New York by himself. Hutch was a good cop, one of the best, but he was out there alone without anyone to watch his back. And the mean streets of New York were an entirely different world from the inner city streets of Bay City. The bad guys played by a whole different set of rules and their vengeance was swift and deadly. Starsky had never felt so helpless in his life, locked away by these steel bars, while his partner was over 3,000 miles away. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep but sleep was elusive for the remainder of the night.


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER 24**

Starsky pushed the rubbery eggs and cold oatmeal around on his tray. The food in this place was even worse than it had been in County. The watered down, lukewarm coffee wasn't much better. Starsky had lost almost twenty-five pounds since his imprisonment, eating barely enough to keep his strength up. He had to force himself to eat. His appetite was almost non-existent. He found himself craving the pizzas, hamburgers and burritos that had been a mainstay of his diet for most of his adult life.

He hadn't slept much the night before, his free floating anxiety about Hutch's welfare keeping him awake. He silently cursed his inability to leave this place and make sure for himself that his partner wasn't in any kind of danger. He knew that he wouldn't rest easy until he found out that Hutch was safely back in Bay City where he belonged and not in New York on his own without any backup. With the almost psychic bond that he shared with his partner, Starsky knew that Hutch needed him. With a frustrated snort, he shoved his breakfast tray aside and stood up, pacing the confines of his cell.

When the guard came to collect the trays, he glanced at Starsky's uneaten food and said, "You don't wanna eat…you can wait till supper for more. Maybe you'll be hungry then." He motioned for Starsky to slide the tray underneath the slot at the bottom of the door. Starsky complied without speaking. He sat back down on his bunk, listening to the squeak of the wheels on the meal cart as the guard moved on down the corridor.

He lay down and closed his eyes, feigning sleep. The mind numbing boredom of being confined to his cell for almost twenty-two hours a day left him lethargic and listless. With nothing to distract his mind, he found himself spending hours at a time remembering the good times, the times he spent with Hutch, relishing the freedom that he no longer had.

The monotony of the morning was broken by the daily delivery of mail. Starsky glanced through the handful of letters he was handed. Two from his mother, one from Huggy, one from Minnie, and two from Hutch. In the beginning, Starsky had sent the letters from his friends and relatives back unopened. But now he looked forward the letters that were his only lifeline to his old life. He read the letters from Huggy and Minnie first. They were filled with details of their day to day activities, news of work and mutual acquaintances.

The letters from his mother were filled with her vows of unconditional love and her continuing prayers for her son. Sometimes she would include news about Nicky and his latest job or girlfriend and there were always stories about the numerous relatives that still resided in the old neighborhood.

He saved the letters from Hutch to read last. The first letter was an overview of Hutch's relentless efforts to prove Starsky's innocence and his vow to get Starsky out of prison. The second letter was more personal and disturbed Starsky with its contents.

_Hey, Buddy…I think I may be making some progress with your case. I found out that at least three of the members on your jury may have been planted to influence the others to voting guilty. Unfortunately, two of them are dead and the third one is missing. But, I did find out that they all relocated to Bay City within the past two years from back east. _

_I think the answer to whoever framed you lies back east, so I am going to take a trip to New York to talk to your mother. I have a feeling there is something you aren't telling me, something that could help your case. If you won't tell me then I have no choice but to ask your mom and Nicky. You can be as pissed off at me as you want but I will not rest until I find out who set you up. We both know you didn't push Prudolm off that roof. He was already dying so he had nothing to lose by helping set you up. It was his last chance to get back at you and he took it. Somebody used that to get to you and I am going to find out who. By the time you read this, I will already be in New York and I will not be back until I find some answers. With any luck, you won't be in there much longer. _

_Hutch_

The opening of his cell door distracted Starsky from his reading. He quickly stuffed his letters underneath the thin pillow on his bed and glanced up at the older guard who was standing in the corridor.

"Let's go, boy." He growled "Time for your shower."

Starsky stood up and mutely stepped into the hall. The guard took his arm and led him down the corridor towards the shower room. A slight tremble ran through Starsky's frame as he remembered what happened the last time he was in the shower room. Fear tied his stomach into knots as he anticipated another sneak attack. Only this time, he would be ready and he wouldn't go down without a fight. Even if he was outnumbered, he would make sure that he got in a few good licks of his own before he was beaten down.

The guard escorted him into the shower room and stood to one side, watching as Starsky undressed, letting his clothes drop to the floor. Starsky walked over to one of the open showers and turned on the water, adjusting the spray to a lukewarm temperature. Starsky stepped forward and let the water wash over his tense muscles, relaxing him marginally.

He raised his head, instantly alert and on guard, when he heard footsteps behind him. A familiar gravely voice hissed from behind him, "Miss me, boy?"

Without warning, Starsky spun around and rammed his left knee into the larger man's groin, dropping him to the floor with a startled yelp. He curled up in a fetal position, cupping his genitals protectively. His three friends advanced on Starsky. A hard right to the jaw stunned him but he stayed on his feet. He swung back with a left hook that sent one of the men stumbling backwards.

One of the remaining two men grabbed Starsky around the waist and slammed him back against the tiled wall, sending a spasm of pain through his back and shoulders. With an agile twist of his body, Starsky slipped free and clasped both hands together, bringing them down against the back of the man's neck as hard as he could. The man fell to the floor unconscious, leaving only two men on their feet to deal with.

Starsky's sudden and unexpected attack had given him the advantage over his attackers. He knew that he had to keep the upper hand or be killed trying. Staggering slightly from the exertion of the fight, Starsky leaned forward and rammed his head into the nearest man's stomach. The man doubled over, struggling to catch his breath as Starsky turned his attention to the lone man still on his feet.

The two men glared at each other, assuming a fighting stance, as they circled each other warily. They were both breathing heavily and a gash above Starsky's right eye was dripping blood down the side of his face.

"Finally got some balls, did ya?" the older con hissed. "Come on, boy, let's see what you got…"

He feigned a lunge at Starsky who deftly stepped to one side. A solid punch to the kidneys dropped Starsky to his knees. He immediately rolled over onto his back and brought both feet up into the other man's mid-section and flipped him over his head.

The man fell to the floor behind Starsky with a thud, stunned and winded. Starsky scrambled to his feet and lunged at the fallen man. Straddling his waist, Starsky began punching him in the face, venting months of rage and frustration on the other man.

Fueled by his rage, Starsky continued to fight as three more guards rushed into the room and tried to pull him off his attacker. A vicious slam from a billy club against the back of his neck finally rendered Starsky unconscious.

Sometime later, Starsky groaned as he opened his eyes. His battered body ached from the fight and he was momentarily disoriented. Shoving himself up from the floor, a glance around the room told him that he was in solitary confinement. The room was empty except for a thin mattress lying in one corner and the only light came from a tiny barred window in the door to the cell. A thin smile tugged at Starsky's lip. He winced as the gesture pulled at a split in his bottom lip. He knew that he had won this round at least.


	25. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER 25**

A moan escaped from Hutch's lips as he regained consciousness. His head throbbed, the muscles in his neck and shoulders feeling strained. As he carefully opened his eyes, he became more aware of his surroundings. He was in a large open room, apparently a warehouse of some sort from the looks of it. He was sitting in a hard wooden chair with his feet and hands tired securely. He glanced around but he appeared to be alone. He pulled at the ropes that bound him but they were tired too tightly. The rough hemp rubbed at the tender skin on his wrists as he tried to free himself scraping away the skin and making it bleed.

"Nicky, you little prick…" he muttered under his breath "What the hell have you gotten into this time?"

Hutch remembered getting blindsided when he walked into the Starsky home after his jog and he knew that Nicky was behind it. Every cop instinct he had was telling him that Nick Starsky was more involved in whatever was going on then anyone had suspected. Hutch made a silent vow that he would personally make Nick Starsky pay if he had anything to do with what had happened to his brother.

Hutch gathered his thoughts. He was getting too close, asking too many questions, stepping on too many toes. Even if he found out the information he needed to free his partner and clear his name, Hutch had no doubt that he would never live long enough to put that information to use. He was in strange city, thousands of miles away from home. Out of his own jurisdiction without any backup. And by the time Captain Dobey or anyone back home got suspicious of his whereabouts, it would be too late. Here in New York, he had no allies except for Rachel Starsky and there wasn't much she could do to help him. Hutch resigned himself to his probable fate. His only regret was that he would never get the chance to say goodbye to his best friend and partner.

Hutch squirmed in his chair. His body was telling him that he had been captive long enough that his full bladder was demanding attention. He wondered how much longer it would be before his captors decided to show themselves. He tried to ignore his discomfort as he resigned himself to waiting. The interior of the warehouse was drafty and cold. Hutch wondered if the building was close to the pier or the river. He listened but couldn't hear any outside noises to help him determine his exact location.

A shuffling sound in the darkness to his left caught Hutch's attention. As he turned his head, a smiling Nicky stepped out of the shadows. He strutted over to stand in front of Hutch and sneered,

"Not so cocky now are you, Blondie?"

"You little son of a bitch," Hutch growled, glaring at Nicky maliciously. "What the fuck have you done?"

"Me?" Nicky said in an innocent voice. "I haven't done anything."

"You helped to set your brother up for murder!"

"Davey did that himself." Nicky countered. "He's the one who had the beef with Prudolm to begin with. He should have blown the prick away when he had the chance. I would have."

"I guess it's a good thing that he's not you."

"Davey and I are more alike than you'll ever know. He's just better at hiding it." Nicky said with a sneer. "You thought you were so special. You thought you knew everything about him," Nicky taunted Hutch "But, he never told you about the Salvado family, did he? He never told you that he almost got charged with Niko Salvado's murder. Don't you ever wonder what other secrets he's been keeping from you all these years?"

"If he was keeping any secrets from me, they were his secrets to keep." Hutch said gruffly. "Secrets that made it easy for the Salvado family to frame him for a murder that he didn't commit."

"You're just guessing…you can't prove that."

"Not yet I can't." Hutch admitted. "How do you figure in all this? Did they pay you to give them information about your brother that they could use it to set up your brother?"

"They didn't pay me anything…except to help them grab you and get you out of the way."

"You mean so they could kill me, don't you? Before I blew their carefully designed little frame-up sky high."

"It don't matter to me what they have planned for you." Nicky said with a smirk. "This way you and Davey will both be out of the picture."

"You hate your own brother that much?"

"Davey never gave a damn about me, especially after he met you. He took off and left me when I was just a snot nosed kid and never looked back. So why should I give a fuck about him?"

"What about your mother?"

"What about her? She'll be fine. Now she won't have Saint Davey to brag about to everybody or throw up in my face all the time. All I ever got was her leftovers. David always came first as far as she was concerned."

"You still had your mother. All he had was a poor substitute for his family." Hutch snapped "But, that didn't stop him from loving you and missing you."

"He sure as hell had a funny way of showing it!" Nicky said, raising his voice angrily. "He goes out to California and becomes a big shot cop who still thinks he has the right to lecture me about my lifestyle."

"He lectured you about your lifestyle because he cares about you and your mother. He didn't want to see you going down the same road as the other lowlifes we've put away over the years."

"Bullshit! He was jealous because I had the money to buy the things he could never afford on a lousy cop's salary. I had friends, powerful friends with a lot of connections."

"Gangsters who would sell their own mother if the price was right!"

"SHUT UP!" Nicky yelled "I don't need a fucking lecture from you either!" He drew back his fist and slammed it into Hutch's mouth, snapping his head sharply to the right. 'I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! THIS IS AS MUCH YOUR FAULT AS IT IS DAVEY'S!"

Fueled by a blind rage, Nicky began to beat Hutch with his fists, splitting both of the big blond's lips and opening a gash on his left cheekbone. Hutch struggled to remain conscious as the vicious beating continued. The depth of Nicky's hatred and resentment ran deep and part of that hatred was directed at Hutch. Hutch had the relationship with Starsky that Nicky would never have, the relationship that he had always longed for but could never hope to have. The Starsky brothers were too different and Nicky was too consumed by his own feelings of abandonment and betrayal.

Nicky continued beating Hutch until he passed out. Even then Nicky continued to use his fists on the unconscious blond. Finally, he stopped, breathing heavily as he stared at the blood on his hands. Suddenly, afraid that he had gone too far, he turned and ran from the building, disappearing into the twilight.


	26. Chapter 26

**CHAPTER 26**

Starsky shifted position and tried to get comfortable. The only difference between sitting in his cell on death row and being in solitary confinement was the fact that there was nothing to do in solitary except to sit and stare at the wall. He had nothing to read, received no mail, and was only allowed one shower a week. He didn't get his hour in the exercise yard at all. Spend too much time in solitaire and you could lose your mind. With nothing to occupy his mind, a minute seemed like an hour, an hour seemed like a week, and a day lasted an eternity. Starsky had already been in this dark, silent cell for almost a week and it would be another three days before he would be returned to his usual cell.

To ease the unrelenting boredom, he slept more than usual. But, he never fell into a deep, restful sleep. He dozed, jerking awake with a start at the slightest sound, both real and imagined. His dreams were filled with images of Hutch and he often awoke with his partner's name echoing on his lips. He knew that it was not safe for Hutch in New York and he wished with all his heart that he could be there with him so he could watch the big blond's back.

He tried not to think much about his limited future but it was hard not to. Each day that passed brought him closer to the gas chamber. He wasn't afraid to die. He had faced death far too many times both in Viet Nam and on the streets of Bay City to fear it. But, he didn't want to die like this. Not as a condemned man, executed for a crime that he didn't commit.

A thin smile tugged at his lips as he thought about the old black and white movies that he liked to watch on television late at night. Hollywood's version of life in prison and on death row was radically different from the reality. Starsky had experienced the harsh reality of life in prison and he knew that he would bear the scars of that experience for the rest of his life, no matter how short that life was.

Restless and agitated, he shoved himself to his feet and began to pace the confines of his cell like a trapped animal. That was how he felt most of the time in this place. With no outlet for his naturally hyperactive nature, he had to figure out his own ways to stay in shape and work off his excess energy.

He was startled when he heard a key turning in the lock and the door to his cell swung open. One of the guards stood in the doorway, eyeing him warily. One hand rested on his billy club as he motioned with his free hand for Starsky to step forward. Starsky hid a smile. His sudden transformation from a submissive and passive prisoner to a man who would fight back had made the guards cautious and leery of him. It gave Starsky a grim sense of satisfaction that he was no longer willing to accept the abuse from the guards or the other prisoners. He may have lost himself for awhile and let his spirit be broken but in the end, his survival instincts had refused to allow him to give up completely.

"The warden decided to let you out of solitaire early. You're going back to your cell." The guard told him. He took Starsky's right arm and escorted him out of the cell. They began walking down the long corridor back towards the main section of the prison. Neither of them spoke, the echo of their footsteps noticeably loud in the silence. As they approached the cellblock the young guard tightened his grip on Starsky's arm. The familiar taunts, hissing sounds, and obscenities from the other prisoners followed Starsky to his cell but he ignored them, keeping his head up and his eyes looking straight ahead. He knew that his victory over his tormentors in the shower room had won him the grudging respect of at least some of the hardened cons while there were still others who would stick a shiv in his back at the first opportunity they had.

The guard let Starsky into his cell and locked the door behind him. Starsky sighed heavily as he sat down on his bunk and picked up the accumulation of mail that was lying there. After eight days in solitary, there was quite a bit. There were six letters from his mother, four from Huggy, one from Captain Dobey, two from Minnie, and one from Rosie Dobey. He frowned when he realized that the usual letters from Hutch were noticeably absent. Leaving his mother's letters for last, he read his other mail first.

Minnie and Rosie Dobey's letters made him smile. They were chatty and full of little stories about their everyday lives. Rosie had drawn him a picture of his car and sent it to him. His eyes burned with unshed tears as he looked at the childish drawing of his pride and joy. Just one more thing he missed terribly about his old life.

The letters from Captain Dobey held news about what was going on at the Station in his absence. There was a brief mention about Hutch taking a trip to New York and the possibility of new evidence being found concerning his case.

The letters from Huggy were more personal. Huggy told him about Hutch's trip to New York and told him about a phone call he had received from Hutch and how Hutch had told him about finding out about the Salvado family. The call from Hutch had been over five days ago and he had mentioned a planned visit to Joe Durniak's son to ask for help. The news did not set well with Starsky. Hutch didn't know what he was getting himself into and this bit of news only increased Starsky's concern for his partner.

Finally, he read the letters from his mother. She told him about Hutch's unexpected arrival and admitted telling him the history between Starsky and the Salvado family. She had also told him about the black rose she had received shortly before Starsky's trouble with Prudolm began and the warning behind it. The most recent letter from his mother was the one that worried him the most. In it she told him that Hutch had gotten into an argument with Nicky and that neither one of them had been there when she got home from her weekly visit with her sister. At the time she wrote the letter, which was dated three days ago, she had not seen either one of them for two days and was starting to get worried about both of them.

"God damn it, Hutch," Starsky muttered under his breath as he finished reading the letter. "Where the hell are you?"

He closed his eyes and took several deep breathes to try and calm himself as his anxiety level soared. Every instinct he had was screaming that Hutch was in terrible danger and needed him. He had to talk to his mother. He was allowed one collect call a week, a privilege that he had ignored until now. Bouncing to his feet, he walked over to the bars of his cell and began banging on them with his fist and yelling for the guard.

One of the older guards huffed up to the cell and glared at him through the bars. "What the hell is all the racket about?" he growled.

"I want to make a phone call." Starsky said in a calm, level voice.

"You do, huh?" The guard said with sneer. "You'll have to wait until later. I ain't got time to take you to the phone right now."

"I have to call now. I want to call my mother and she lives in New York. If I wait until later, it will be too late to call her because of the time difference." Starsky said in a reasonable voice. He knew that he had to remain calm; arguing with the guard would be the quickest way to have his request denied.

"All right…" the guard said in an annoyed voice "But just this once. Don't think you can make this a habit." He grumbled to himself as he unlocked the cell door. Starsky waited until the guard signaled for him to step forward. He let the guard take his arm as they walked down the corridor towards the visiting area where the payphones were located.

The guard stood just inside the door allowing Starsky a minimum of privacy to make his call. He picked up the receiver and waited for the operator to come on the line. He gave his mother's number in New York and waited impatiently for the connection to be made. Finally, he heard his mother's voice on the other end of the line.

"Davey!" she said overjoyed to hear his voice. "It's so good to hear from you! How are you?"

"I'm okay, Ma." He said softly, keeping his voice low so the guard wouldn't overhear his conversation. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. I'm just worried. I haven't heard from your brother or Ken for days. Nobody seems to know where they went."

"Damn…" Starsky whispered. He had been hoping that his mother would tell him that Nicky and Hutch were both back safe and sound. "When was the last time you saw them?"

"It was almost a week ago. Ken and Nicky got into an argument and Nicky stormed out of the house but he came back after I went to bed because he was here when I got up the next morning. But they were both gone when I came home and I haven't seen or heard from either one of them since then. Nicky I could understand. This wouldn't be the first time he took off for a few days without telling me but that doesn't sound like something Ken would do."

"He wouldn't." Starsky told her, struggling to keep his rising fear out of his voice. "Ma, I want you to the call the police. Tell them that Hutch has been missing for over a week and make sure you tell them that he's a cop."

"You think that something happened to him, don't you?" Rachel said quietly.

"Ma, you know as well as I do that if the Salvados had anything to do with what happened to me, then if Hutch started asking too many questions, they wouldn't have any problem going after him."

"I could call Robbie and have him see what he could find out." Rachel suggested.

"No." Starsky said. His family's connection to Joe Durniak had always made him uncomfortable. He didn't want to owe Robert Durniak any favors. He sighed softly and leaned his forehead against the wall, hunching over the phone, as he continued his conversation. "Call Pete at Pop's old precinct and talk to him."

"What about Nicky?" His mother asked in a concerned voice.

"Do whatever you think is best about Nicky." Starsky said, slightly irritated that his mother's primary concern was still for her youngest son. He knew that the decision to send him to live in Bay City had been as traumatic for his mother as it had been for him and as a result she had showered all of her love and devotion on Nicky, often leaving her eldest son feeling estranged and neglected. It was a family dynamic that Starsky had grown accustomed to over the years but it still hurt when his mother appeared to care more about Nicky than she did him.

The truth was Starsky had his own suspicions about Nicky disappearing at the same time that Hutch did. But, he knew that he could not voice his suspicions to his mother. She still refused to see Nicky for what he really was. A two bit little hood who made his living resorting to petty theft, running numbers and a few other illegal activities. Over the years, Starsky had come to realize that his brother was a selfish, self-centered punk who only cared about himself and his own comforts.

Nicky was lucky that Starsky was locked up. If he wasn't, he would have been on the first plane to New York to find Hutch and if he found out that Nicky had anything to do with his partner's disappearance; he wouldn't be able to find a hole big enough to hide in from his older brother's wrath.

The operator's voice came on the line warning him that he only had a few more minutes left to talk before he would be disconnected. Inmate calls were monitored and automatically cut off after fifteen minutes.

"Ma, I have to go." Starsky said "Call Pete and call Captain Dobey. Tell them both what's going on. I'll try to call back in a couple of days to see if you've heard anything from Nicky or Hutch."

"All right," Rachel said. "I love you, David."

"I love you too, Ma." He said past the lump in his throat. "I'll call you back soon." He hung up the phone before Rachel could answer and turned to face the guard, waiting to be escorted back to his cell.


	27. Chapter 27

**CHAPTER 27**

Rachel Starsky opened the front door gasping with surprise at the sight of the heavyset black man standing on the stoop. She had met Harold Dobey during one of her rare visits to Bay City when David was seriously injured in a car accident. The burly black man and his wife had graciously welcomed her into their home during her stay in the city.

"Harold!" She exclaimed in a startled voice as she ushered her guest into her home. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"After you called about Hutch being missing, I decided to fly out here to see if I could do anything to help find him." Dobey said in his usual gruff manner. "I've already been in touch with the local department and they know I'm here."

"Did you talk to Pete Alexander?" Rachel asked as she led the way into the kitchen. She gestured towards the table, motioning for Dobey to sit down, while she bustled around the kitchen putting on a fresh pot of coffee. "He was Michael's partner for years. When I called him, he promised to see what he could find out."

"Yes, I did." Dobey said. He wisely decided not to tell Rachel everything Pete had told him about the connection he had uncovered between Nick Starsky and the Salvado family. If the woman didn't know about her youngest son's illegal activities, he didn't want to upset her. "He said that he put out an APB on both Nick and Hutch."

"Yes, he told me that he was going to do that when I talked to him." Rachel said as she set a plate of cookies on the table in front of Captain Dobey. "Would you like cream or sugar in your coffee?"

"No, thank you. Black is fine."

"How long are you planning on staying in New York?" Rachel asked as she poured them both a cup of coffee. Setting one cup down in front of Dobey, she sat in the chair across from him and looked at him with the same intensity that he had often seen in her eldest son's eyes.

"As long as it takes." Dobey told him "Hutch is one of my best men and I don't intend on going back to Bay City without him…he's also a friend, a good friend. So is David."

"I know. David has always spoken highly of you and your family. He absolutely loves your little girl. Rosie, isn't it?"

"Yes," Dobey said with a warm smile. "She loves her Uncle Dave and her Uncle Ken too."

"My sister's name is Rosie." Rachel said "She lives in Bay City. That's where I sent David when he was thirteen…after Michael was killed."

"I know. It's in his personnel file."

"It was the hardest decision I ever had to make…" Rachel said, her voice breaking for a moment as she lost herself in her memories. "And David was so angry with me…but I knew that I was doing what was best him for him."

"He knows that too."

"Yes, he does now…but he didn't back then. In his eyes I was abandoning him…he thought I didn't want him anymore…that I didn't love him anymore." She smiled faintly as she pulled herself out of her musing. "I was so afraid when David called and told me that he had joined the academy. I had already lost my husband to the job, I didn't want to lose my son to it too. I thought it was hard being a cop's wife…it's even harder being a cop's mother…especially one who lives so far away. I missed out on so much in his life…then he introduced me to Ken and I knew that I could stop worrying. He had found someone who was going to take care of him, to be there for him when I couldn't. I knew he was going to be safe as long as he had Ken."

"They're my best team of detectives. They have something special between them that makes them the best." Dobey said "It's the best kind of partnership to have. It's the kind of partnership you hope you'll end up with but not that many cops do. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like what those two have."

"I know that something's happened to Ken." Rachel said "I know he wouldn't just disappear like that…neither would Nicky."

"You said that Ken and Nick had a fight the night before they both disappeared." Dobey said "What was that about?"

"About Ken being here…about him trying to clear David's name…I don't know. Nicky is so angry and I know he is jealous of the relationship that Ken has with David. He feels left out…" Rachel said pensively. She let herself drift back into her memories of the past for a moment. "When they were kids, Nicky absolutely adored David. He tried to follow him everywhere…" She smiled at the memory "Of course, David was almost five years older than Nicky and didn't want his little brother tagging along with him everywhere he went."

"I used to drive my older brother nuts too." Dobey said with a chuckle. "I think that's pretty typical behavior."

"Nicky was only eight when I sent David away. He was too young to understand why his big brother wasn't going to be living with us anymore. He cried himself to sleep for weeks and then he just stopped and acted like nothing had happened."

"Mrs. Starsky," Dobey said, choosing his words with care. "Do you think that Nicky could have had anything to do with Hutch disappearing?" He hated to ask but it was a possibility that he had to consider and Mrs. Starsky was the only reliable source who might know.

"I don't know…" Rachel said slowly "I just don't know anymore. I hope not…but I just don't know. It would explain why Nicky hasn't come home."

Dobey reached out and gently rubbed the back of the woman's hand in a comforting gesture. "We'll find Ken…and Nicky too." He reassured her. "No matter what it takes…we'll find them…"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

In the abandoned warehouse on the other side of the city, Ricardo Salvado looked at the battered body of the blond man lying on the ground at his feet. He nudged the unresponsive body with the toe of his expensive Italian loafer with distaste.

"Where is that fool, Nicholi?" he growled in an annoyed voice. "I told him to keep his hands off of him until we were finished with him."

"Nobody knows, boss." One of the burly bodyguards standing behind him said. "It looks like he beat the fuck out of Blondie here and then took off. Probably figured he went too far and killed him."

"He's no use to us now. Neither one of them are. Find Nicholi and get rid of him…but be merciful, make it quick…he has been useful up until now." He gave Hutch a final glance as he turned away. "And make sure you dump this piece of trash somewhere where nobody is going to find his body…not for a long, long time."


	28. Chapter 28

**CHAPTER 28**

**A/N: Sorry about the delay in posting this chapter but I've been laid up in bed for the past week with bronchitis. Just couldn't seem to shake it. **

Captain Dobey worked closely with Pete Alexander, who was useful in sorting out the various tangled links to the Salvado family. The two seasoned officers worked closely together and discovered that the three jury members who had intimidated the others into voting guilty, each had a sordid connection to the Salvado family. Each of them had been sent to California separately over a period of the past four years in an attempt to obscure their connection with the Salvados. The two of them who had been murdered had probably been the weakest links, the ones most likely to confess if they were arrested. So they were eliminated.

In turn, Dobey filled Pete in on Starsky's history with Prudolm. Prudolm's own hatred for Starsky made him the perfect patsy to take the fall and to set Starsky up for his murder. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, Prudolm had nothing to lose. His last goal in life would be to eliminate the man he held responsible for his son's death. He may not have known about the East Coast connection and, even if he had, it probably wouldn't have mattered.

Nick Starsky's involvement with the Salvado family was well known within the NYPD. He had never done anything that could have gotten him arrested, he just seemed to drift along the fringes, doing errands and favors over the years. Pete speculated that Nicky's primary value to the family was his knowledge of Starsky's movements in California.

"We need to find Nicky." Pete said, shoving aside the files he had been sorting through. "I think he's the key to everything. It won't take much to make the little putz cave in and tell us everything he knows."

"Where do we start looking?" Dobey growled "This is your city, not mine."

"I think we need to shake things up all the way around." Pete suggested "Play up Hutchinson's disappearance, highly decorated West Coast Cop, that sort of thing…turn up the heat. Drop Nicky's name as someone we want to talk to in connection with his disappearance…"

"You think that will flush Nicky out into the open?"

"I think it will make him careless and easier for us to find." Pete said "We'll also put a tap on Rachel's phone. I wouldn't be surprised if he calls her whining for help. The kid is in over his head this time and all he's gonna care about is covering his own ass..."

"That's also makes him a liability to the Salvado family." Dobey pointed out. "A liability they may decide that they can't afford."

The two veteran officers debated the pros and the cons of their plan to force Nick Starsky into the open. The Salvado family was too well insulated and protected to reach but Nick wasn't. The Salvado family would throw him to the wolves to protect themselves. If he was a target too, it was imperative that they find him as soon as possible. He may be their only link to finding Hutch and to clearing his brother's name.

APBs were already in place and a team had been sent to Rachel Starsky's home to put a tap on her phone. Now all they could do was wait. Dobey accepted Pete's offer of joining him to eat at a nearby diner. Over their meal, they shared 'war stories' and Pete told Dobey all about Michael Starsky. It was obvious that the two men had been good friends and that Pete still missed his old friend.

Their meal was drawing to a close when Pete's beeper went off. Glancing at the screen, he excused himself and walked to a pay phone in the corner of the room. While he was on the phone, Dobey paid the bill.

Pete was smiling thinly when he hung up the phone and rejoined Dobey at the counter.

"Nicky was just admitted to Saint Leo's Hospital in The Bronx. He's been beaten up and shot in the back of the head…but he's still alive."

"Let's go," Dobey said. The two men hurried from the diner and climbed into Pete's car. Using lights and siren, they arrived at the hospital twenty minutes later. After identifying themselves to the ER doctor, they were ushered into a private office.

"Mr. Starsky's condition is critical, I'm afraid. If he has any family, they should be notified. It's very doubtful that he'll survive the night."

"Can we talk to him?" Pete asked "It's important. It could be a matter of life or death."

"You can talk to him but he may not be very coherent." The doctor said somberly.

"He's in and out. We can't remove the bullet because of the location."

"Does he know that he's dying?" Dobey asked

"Yes…he knows."

"Dying declaration?" Pete said with a glance at his comrade. Dobey nodded. Anything that Nicky told them under the imminent threat of death would hold up in court of law.

The two officers were shown to the tiny cubicle where Nick Starsky lay in a bed. His head was heavily bandaged, his face bruised from a recent beating.

"Nicky? It's Pete." His father's former partner said in a gentle, soothing voice. "Can you hear me?

"P.p.p.p..ete…" Nicky slurred, his eyes fluttered as he struggled to focus on the other man's face.

"Yeah, kid…it's me. Do you know where you are?"

"H..ospi..tal.."

"That't right. Nicky, can you tell me who did this to you?"

"Gus and Louie…" Nicky said, naming two of Salvado's men. "Said…they didn't need me…anymore…"

"Nicky, the doctor said there's nothing they can do. You know that, right?"

"Yeah…dying…." Nicky said in a weary voice. He struggled to keep his eyes open. "Ma?"

"I sent someone to the house to bring her to the hospital." Pete told him. "Nicky, Captain Dobey is here with me. Do you remember Captain Dobey?"

"From Bay City…Davey's boss…"

"That's right. He's here trying to find Detective Hutchinson. Do you know where we can find him?"

"Dead…" Nicky said "I killed him…"

Captain Dobey held back his distress at those words. He still had a job to do. Even if Hutch was dead, he vowed to find his body and bring him back home.

"Nicky, why did you kill Hutch?" Pete asked. He knew that he needed to get as much information as possible out of the dying man before it was too late.

"Asking too many questions…getting too close…had to get rid of him."

"Who had to get rid of him?"

"Ricardo." Nicky said, naming the head of the Salvado family. "Spent too much time setting Davey up…couldn't let Hutch mess it all up now…"

"So Ricardo Salvado did frame Detective Starsky for murder? Is that what you're saying?" Pete asked

"Yeah…bought off the cops that were there that day…easy to pay 'em, off…planned it out for years…" Nicky's eyes drifted shut as he lost consciousness. Pete and Dobey exchanged glances. They had what they needed, enough to bring in Ricardo Salvado and his two henchmen for questioning. But, they still had to find Hutch.


	29. Chapter 29

**CHAPTER 29**

Tina Barlow scuffed her sneakers through the debris in the vacant lot. Sometimes she got lucky during her nocturnal scavenging and found useable items that she could take back to the abandoned building where she slept with her two younger siblings. Since their mother had overdosed on heroin three months ago, Tina and her two little sisters had been on their own. Although she was only twelve, Tina was determined to keep the three of them together. Taking care of Sylvia and Marcy was something Tina had done for most of her life and she was good at it, better than her mother had ever been.

A shuffling movement in the darkness to her right startled her badly. She stopped and stood still, listening intently. Although this neighborhood consisted mainly of burned out and abandoned buildings, it still was a dangerous place to be in after dark. More than once, Tina had stumbled over a junkie shooting up or a couple making out. She took a cautious step forward.

Tina gasped when she made out the figure of a man lying face down in a pile of garbage. His clothes were torn and dirty, stained dark with blood in several places. Falling to her knees beside the man, Tina was torn between her instinct to help and her instinct to run. Her trembling fingers reached out towards the mattered, tangled hair that hung in the man's face. In the darkness it was hard to tell what color it was. When the man suddenly drew in a shallow, ragged breath, Tina bit back a sharp cry of terror and jumped to her feet. Turning on her heel, she ran in the opposite direction and didn't stop running until she reached the abandoned building she shared with her siblings.

Darting into the dark interior of the old hotel, she made her way through the darkness to a room on the first floor tucked away underneath the crumbling stairway. Quietly opening the door, she slipped inside and closed the door behind her.

"Sissy?" Marcy's trembling voice whispered from a dark corner of the room.

"Yeah, it's me," Tina said, keeping her trembling voice carefully under control as she crept across the room to the bare, moth eaten mattresses where her two younger sisters huddled together for warmth and security in her absence. Tina reached into the pocket of her threadbare jacket and pulled out two candy bars that she handed to her sisters.

"Thank you," Marcy whispered, tearing open the candy and taking a bite. Her four year old sister, Sylvia, stirred and reached out for her candy bar, clutching it tightly in her pudgy little hand. The youngest of the Barlow sisters had been born deaf, a disability that her drug addicted mother chose to ignore and neglect just like she did the needs of her other children.

"Eat your candy." Tina instructed the two younger girls. "Then go back to sleep."

"Are you going back out?" Marcy asked in a worried voice. She was only eight and hated it when Tina had to go out to find them food, leaving her alone with Sylvia.

"No, not tonight." Tina said, still shaken by her discovery of the man's body in the vacant lot. She had learned at an early age not to get involved with anyone else's problems, she had enough of her own to deal with. Still, the man's situation frightened her. She knew that someone had thrown him in the garbage heap and left him there to die, not an uncommon event in the inner streets of the city.

Even if she wanted to help him, it was too dangerous. She couldn't go to the police. They probably wouldn't believe her anyway. And she had her sisters to consider. She couldn't take the chance of anyone finding out that they were alone in the world. They would end up in foster care and get separated. She couldn't let that happen. Chewing on the edge of a ragged fingernail, she sat on the mattress beside her sisters and stared into the darkness. A single teardrop slipped down her cheek as she hugged her knees to her chest and began rocking back and forth.

****

Across the country, Starsky awoke from a restless slumber, his face wet with sweat and his heart pounding wildly. "Hutch!" he cried out into the darkness. The nightmare had been so vivid; he could still hear Hutch's voice echoing in his ears, crying out for help.

The first rays of the rising sun were starting to lighten the eastern sky. Starsky sighed and crawled out of his bunk. He knew that he wouldn't be able to get anymore sleep. He began to pace his cell trying to work off his nervous tension and anxiety.

When the guard came around with the breakfast trays, he was accompanied by a second guard who unlocked Starsky's cell and motioned for him to step into the corridor.

Starsky took a cautious step forward. With the guards he never knew what to expect. Too many unprovoked attacks had taught him to be wary and on guard at all times.

The guard looked at Starsky with a smirk and said, "Get your stuff together. You're being moved."

"Why? I didn't do nothing." Starsky said defensively.

"I don't know why the fuck you're being moved." The guard snapped "I just got orders to move you. Now get your stuff together like you were told!"

Silently, Starsky turned and stepped back into his cell. Under the watchful eye of the guard, he began to gather his few possessions together. He didn't have much. His letters and legal papers, an extra change of clothes, and the bible that every prisoner was issued when they were transferred to the prison. There were a few snapshots, pictures of him and Hutch, his mother, and Nicky. He put everything in a pillow case and turned to face the guard again.

The guard took his arm and led him down the corridor past the jeering, spitting prisoners and to another part of the prison. It wasn't solitary confinement but it was a section for prisoners who were considered to be in protective custody for one reason or another or who were awaiting transfer to another facility. Starsky frowned wondering about his abrupt move to another section of the prison entirely. He knew better than to question the guard. He assumed that he would find out soon enough why he was being moved. The guard escorted him to his new cell and left him there to get settled in. Since he was the only prisoner in the cell block, the sudden quiet was unnerving after having grown accustomed to the constant noise and chaos of death row. It didn't take long to get squared away leaving him at a loss as to what to do next. He finally settled for lying on his bunk and closing his eyes, letting himself get lost in memories of happier times.

He must have dozed off. A sound in the corridor awakened him. He opened his eyes expecting to see a guard with his lunch tray. His stomach growled loudly reminding him that he had missed breakfast because of his sudden move from one cell to another. He was surprised to see Lew standing in the hallway peering at him through the bars.

Bouncing to his feet, Starsky crossed the short distance between them. He grabbed the bars that separated them and said, "What's going on? What are you doing here?"

"I have news and I wanted to deliver it in person." Lew said. His face remained immobile, his expression not giving any indication as to why he was there.

"They set a date for the execution?" Starsky said, voicing the first thought that came to mind.

"No, nothing like that." Lew reassured him "As a matter of fact, the governor has issued a stay of execution pending a full investigation into some new evidence that has been uncovered concerning your case."

"What kind of evidence?"

"Evidence of jury tampering, witnesses who were paid off for their testimony, and a general conspiracy to frame you for the murder of George Prudolm." Lew said with a slight smile.

For the first time in months, Starsky let a brief smile cross his lips and the flutter of hope to ebb in his chest. "Is there going to be a new trial?"

"I'll know more about that in a few days after all the evidence is evaluated." Lew told him. "In the meantime, I had you moved here for your own safety. If all goes well, you could be transferred back to Bay City in a few days."

'Hutch? Is Hutch back from New York?" Starsky asked, remembering his early morning nightmare.

"No, not yet." Lew said evasively, underestimating the bond between the two detectives and not realizing that Starsky would immediately read between the lines and expect the worst.

"He's hurt, isn't?" Starsky whispered. His face paled as another thought occurred to him. "He's not…d-dead…is he?"

"We don't know. At the moment he's missing." Lew admitted realizing that he had nothing to gain by hiding the truth for the perceptive man in front of him. "But the entire NYPD is looking for him and I'm sure that they'll find him soon."

Starsky's eyes darkened and his shoulders slumped. In a carefully controlled voice he said, "Yeah, I'm sure they will." He turned and walked stiffly back over to his bunk, flopping down on top of the mattress and throwing his arm up over his face. Lew sighed and turned to walk away. He wondered if his news had been as welcomed as he had hoped it would be.


	30. Chapter 30

**CHAPTER 30**

Captain Dobey paced the corridors of the hospital impatiently. Thanks to an anonymous phone call from a good Samaritan, a man fitting Hutch's description had been found in an vacant lot near the pier. The man's condition was listed as critical. He had been severely beaten and shot twice, once in the stomach and once in the back of the head. The similarity between his head wound and Nick Starsky's injury made it appear that they may have been shot by the same person. He had been rushed to emergency surgery as soon as he arrived at the hospital in an effort to stop the internal bleeding. Although Dobey hadn't seen the man to find out if it was his missing officer, his gut instinct told him that Hutch had been found.

Pete had returned to police headquarters to question Salvado and his henchmen. They doubted if any of the gangsters would admit to anything or give them an useful information but there was always the possibility that one of them might slip up. With luck, Hutch would be able to give them a statement that would implicate the Salvado family. Dobey paused his restless pacing when a doctor, dressed in blood stained scrubs, stepped into the waiting room and glanced around.

"Family for John Doe?" he announced in a tired voice.

"I'm Captain Harold Dobey, Bay City California Police Department." Dobey said, stepping forward and introducing himself. "I have reason to believe that your patient is one of my men."

"Why don't we step in here so we can talk privately?" the doctor suggested, gesturing to an empty room to his left.

The two men stepped into the room and the doctor closed the door. Pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers, he said, "I'm Doctor Reed. The patient is lucky to be alive. He'd lost a lot of blood from both the gunshot wounds and internal injuries from the beating he received. He had several broken ribs which punctured both lungs and we had to remove his spleen. He was shot in the abdomen and that injury caused severe hemorrhaging. The gunshot wound to his head should have killed him. Fortunately, his skull deflected the bullet and it didn't penetrate the brain. However, the trauma of the shooting did cause swelling of the brain which resulted in a comatose condition. If he hadn't been found when he was, he would have bled to death. As it is, his condition is critical and he could still very well die from his injuries. The next forty eight hours are critical. If he survives that long he may have a chance."

"May I see him?" Dobey asked "I'd like to make a positive ID if I can."

"Of course. I'll have a nurse take you to his room as soon as he's out of recovery. It'll probably be an hour or so. Why don't you get some coffee and something to eat while you're waiting?"

Dobey nodded in agreement as the two men left the room. The doctor returned to his duties while Dobey strolled down the hallway towards the elevator, deep in thought. In his mind, he reviewed the facts of the case. He knew they needed more than what they had so far to get Starsky a new trial. Hutch's statement about the events surrounding his abduction and attempted murder could prove vital to the case. Nick Starsky's statement, taken while he was probably dying, would go a long way towards implicating Nicky for his part in the whole mess but Dobey wanted to get the Salvado family too. Too many innocent people had suffered because of their vendetta against David Starsky for something that happened when he was a kid.

Two hours later, Dobey was standing beside a bed in the ICU gazing at the man lying there. Despite the heavy bruising and swelling of his face that distorted his features, Dobey knew the man lying there was his missing detective. Tubes ran into various parts of the battered body and a respirator tube snaked between the pale lips and down his throat. Monitors positioned around the bed kept track of Hutch's vital signs and heartbeat.

With Dobey's positive ID, the hospital records were amended from John Doe to Kenneth Hutchinson. As a precaution, a police guard was being posted at the door and only authorized medical and police personnel would be allowed into the room. It was obvious that Hutch's body had been dumped in the vacant lot, discarded like a bag of trash. If the anonymous caller hadn't reported his location, it was unlikely that he would have been found anytime soon. There wasn't much Dobey could do at the hospital so he decided to return to his motel room to rest.

Pete called later that evening to bring Dobey up to date on the investigation. As expected, Salvado and his men denied any knowledge of Hutch or Nicky. Salvado had an alibi, claiming to have been out of town for the past two weeks in Las Vegas. Pete had no choice but to let them go. He had arranged to have Rachel Starsky stay with other family members until the case was resolved for her own protection. As an additional precaution, a police guard had also been placed on Nicky's room. With the only two witnesses who could connect the Salvado family to the investigation in a coma, the case was at a standstill until either Nicky or Hutch could give them a statement.

****

Back at the prison, Starsky rocked back and forth on his bunk, holding his head. Agonizing pain seemed to radiate from the back of his head to the top of his skull. The pain had started earlier that morning and seemed to intensify as the hours passed. A sheen of sweat covered Starsky's face and a whimper escaped his lips as he struggled to contain the pain.

"Hutch…" he whispered in a ragged voice as the blackness swept over him and he fell to the mattress unconscious.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Dobey hung up the phone and let out a heavy sigh. Pete looked at him questioningly. Dobey had called California to check in and appeared to have received some distressing news in return.

"Trouble?" Pete asked

"Starsky's been moved to the prison ward at the hospital. He's in a coma and nobody seems to know why."

Pete frowned and looked at Dobey in confusion. "Surely you can't think it has anything to do with what's going on with his partner." He said in an incredulous tone.

"You don't know those two the way I do." Dobey told him gruffly. "What those two have is unique to say the least. Sometimes, it's as if they are two halves of the same person. When one of them hurts, the other one feels the pain." He shook his head solemnly. "Whatever is going on with Starsky, I'd bet my pension that it has everything to do with what's happening right now with Hutchinson."

"That's crazy."

"It may be crazy but it's true. If we lose Hutch, we could very well lose Starsky too. Their bond is that strong."

"What are we supposed to do?"

"Pray," Dobey said glumly "Pray that they both make it through this."


	31. Chapter 31

**CHAPTER 31**

Three days passed without any change in Hutch's condition. Then, gradually, he began to show signs of regaining consciousness. At first it was just a twitch of a muscle in his cheek and a rolling of his eyes under closed lids, but as time passed, his movements became more restless as he fought his way back to the land of the living.

Captain Dobey was with Hutch when he finally opened his eyes. The big blond looked around, a puzzled frown creasing his brow. Realizing what he was searching for, Dobey gently reached out and touched the back of Hutch's hand.

"He's not here, Ken. You're still in New York."

"Starsky," Hutch hissed in a raspy voice as he tried to push himself up in the bed. "He needs me…"

It didn't take much effort for Dobey to push the weakened man back into the bed, he said soothingly,

"You need to rest. You've been shot."

"I need to get to Starsky!" Hutch declared stubbornly. "He needs me,"

"As soon as the doctor says you're strong enough to travel, I'll take you back to Bay City personally." Dobey reassured him. "In the meantime, can you tell me what happened to you?"

"Nicky…he's working for the Salvado family. He helped them frame Starsky…" Hutch said breathlessly "It was all an elaborate set up to get even with Starsky for something that happened when he was a kid."

"Who shot you?"

"One of Salvado's men…on his orders."

"Are they the ones that beat you up?"

"No," Hutch said with a bitter smile "Nicky did that. The little prick is all fucked up. He hates me almost as much as he hates his own brother. Did you pick him up?"

"Actually, Nicky is here in the hospital too. He was shot just like you but his condition isn't good. The doctors don't think that he will come out of the coma. But, he gave us a statement that implicates Salvado before he slipped away."

"Is that enough to get Starsky a new trial?" Hutch questioned hopefully.

"Lew's working on it. He's getting a summation together to present to the judge."

"I have to get back there!" Hutch said, trying to push himself up in the bed again despite the wave of dizziness that swept over him. He collapsed back against the pillows and looked at his commanding officer solemnly, his eyes filled with fear. "Starsky…I need Starsky…"

"I know." Dobey said gently "Try to rest and I'll talk to the doctor to see how soon we can get you out of here." He knew that he couldn't hide Starsky's condition from Hutch much longer and as soon as Hutch found out that Starsky was in a coma, no power on earth would keep the blond from finding his way to his partner's side. He watched as Hutch's eyes drifted shut as he fell into an exhausted, but natural, sleep.

Two days passed. Hutch rapidly regained his strength and became more agitated and restless, insisting that he needed to return to Bay City to be with Starsky. Even though the news of Starsky's condition had been carefully kept from him, it was as if Hutch still knew that his partner and friend was in some kind of trouble. Finally, the doctor agreed to release Hutch from the hospital as long as he followed his discharge instructions. He was cleared to return to Bay City on the condition that he immediately checked in with his own doctor.

Before they left for the airport, Dobey told Hutch that Lew had successfully petitioned the court for a new hearing for Starsky based on the evidence Hutch had uncovered in New York. He wisely waited until they were on board the plane and in the air to tell Hutch about Starsky's condition. As expected, the blond did not take the news well.

"WHAT? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS BEFORE!" Hutch demanded harshly, his pale blue eyes burning with an inner fire. "YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO KEEP SOMETHING LIKE THAT FROM ME!"

"I was more concerned about your condition at the time," Dobey said calmly "And getting you well enough to get you back to that partner of yours."

Hutch took a deep breath to compose himself and exhaled slowly. Finally, he said in a deceptively quiet voice, "I knew he needed me…I could feel it."

"Because of the circumstances surrounding the case, Lew got permission from the judge for Huggy to stay with him until you get there." Dobey told him. Hutch nodded and smiled in gratitude. If he couldn't be there at the moment, Huggy Bear was the next best thing.

The rest of the flight passed uneventfully. As soon as the plane landed at LAX, Hutch demanded to be taken straight to the hospital to see Starsky. Dobey had a black and white waiting for them and instructed the driver to take them there. When they arrived, Hutch unerringly made his way to the prison ward and found his way to his partner's side.

Starsky was lying in the hospital bed. An IV ran into the back of his left hand and a second tube snaked out from beneath the sheet that led to a bag hanging on the bedrail that was filled with urine. Other than that, Starsky appeared to be peacefully sleeping.

"Man, am I glad to see you." Huggy Bear said, bouncing to his feet and smiling broadly when he saw Hutch stride into the room. "Maybe now sleeping beauty here will decide to wake up."

Hutch immediately moved to his partner's side and reached out to rub his shoulder gently. "Hey, buddy…" he said in that quiet, soft voice he reserved solely for his partner at times like this. "I'm here now. Hutch is here."

Everyone watched as Starsky's head turned towards the sound of his partner's voice. His eyelids fluttered and a sliver of blue could be seen as Starsky struggled to open his eyes. Finally, his gaze focused on Hutch's face and a crooked smile tugged at his lips.

"Hutch," he whispered "What took you so long?" His eyes drifted shut again and he fell into a peaceful sleep, his chest rising and falling slowly with each breath.

Hutch smiled and settled into the chair beside the bed. Everyone in the room knew that he was settling in for the duration of Starsky's stay in the hospital. Dobey and Huggy exchanged a smile. Things were back to normal with Starsky and Hutch. Now that they were toether again, they could both begin to heal from their separate ordeals. With one final glance at their two friends, Dobey and Huggy left the room.

****

Three weeks later, Starsky stood in a courtroom and listened as a new judge reviewed the evidence in his case. Holding his breath, he listened as the judge ruled in his favor, overturning his conviction and granting him his freedom. Chaos immediately broke out in the courtroom as reporters rushed out to file their stories with their editors and Starsky's friends and colleagues gathered around him to congratulate him. Hutch grabbed him in a heartfelt embrace, both men overjoyed at the verdict.

Salvado and his cronies had all been formally charged with a variety of offenses, including jury tampering, falsifying evidence, and bribing public officials. Nick Starsky had also been charged for his part in the scam, although it was doubtful that he would ever go to trial while he remained in a coma. With enough money to pay for the best lawyers available, it could be years before Salvado saw the inside of a courtroom but at least his organization had been seriously damaged by the investigation.

All that was left now was for Starsky to pick up the shattered pieces of his life. But, he knew that he had Hutch beside him no matter what happened. Hutch knew that Starsky wasn't sure if he wanted to return to the police force and Hutch was willing to sit back and let him make the right decision for himself. Dobey knew that if Starsky didn't return to the force, Hutch would quit too and he would lose two of the best men he had ever had the privilege to work with. Starsky had a lot to overcome but Dobey knew that he would succeed as long as he had Hutch on his side. Together, as always, the two men would face whatever life had to throw at them and overcome any obstacles that stood in their way. Their future might be uncertain, but together they were still a force to be reckoned with. They were still Me and Thee and always would be.

THE END


End file.
